Dragon Ball: New Days
by CosmoCatte
Summary: ON HIATUS AS OF 1/23/2020 What if Dragon Ball Z onward didn't quite go the way we know and expect...? Small changes will pile up and effect larger ones, the humans will get more of a chance to shine, and Goku even gets a snazzy new outfit for the adventure! What kind of new story could unfold within? (Starts after the Saiyan Saga) (Cover image drawn by me)
1. Prologue

Dragon Ball: New Days

Prologue: A New Journey

The battle against Vegeta and Nappa had been a difficult one, and the resulting effects of the battle were nothing short of immense loss, despite their victory in the end. Many of the Z-Fighters had been slaughtered in their efforts to defend the Earth from the Saiyan threat, and those who had managed to survive the arduous battle found themselves hospitalized in the aftermath.

While Gohan and Krillin were able to get out of the fight mostly intact, and Yajirobe was only a little banged up, Goku had suffered severe damage, and with no Senzu ready for the time, it seemed that he would be stuck that way.

The immense strain he had put his body under with his excessive use of the Kaio-Ken, combined with the bone-crushing blows of Vegeta in his Oozaru form, left Goku in a full-body cast. To be truthful, it was a miracle that he had survived at all, let alone been stabilized and left with the chance of recovery.

Beyond this, though, the heaviest of the deaths in their battle was known amongst the survivors: Piccolo was dead, and with him both Kami and the Dragon balls were gone. Not only could they not bring back Chiaotzu, but even Yamcha and Tien were lost, seemingly forever. After all, without the Dragon Balls, how could they hope to wish anyone back?

Only one of those present had a possible answer to this problem, the bald fighter sitting quietly in his hospital bed. The quiet conversation of the others was nothing but a dull echo at the edge of Krillin's mind, as he meditated on the battle and tried to recall what it was that Nappa had off-handedly referred to Piccolo as.

_'What was it…'_ His eyes were shut, brows furrowing in mild frustration. _'Come on, Krillin, it's right there, what did he call Piccolo again?'_ It had been at the initial arrival of the two Saiyans to the battlefield, when Piccolo was identified as Raditz's killer...

_'A __**Namekian!**__'_

"Hey, uh, guys?" Krillin spoke up, his interruption silencing the already-slow discussion amongst the others. "On the ship, when I mentioned there might be a way that we could get everyone back… that Nappa guy called Piccolo a 'Namekian', and that got me to thinking. Isn't it possible that there's a whole planet of Namekians out there, with their own Dragon Balls?"

The revelation lingered in the silence as those in the room processed his words. If there were another set of Dragon Balls, then it was still entirely possible to bring back not only Yamcha and Tien, but even Chiaotzu and Piccolo, maybe!

"That's good thinking, Krillin!" Bulma smile, but it faltered a moment later. "But… there's just one problem. Even if there _is_ a planet of these Namekians, we have no idea where to start looking to find it. It could take years for us to figure out where it is, and by then we might not be able to revive _any_ of them, if this hypothetical set of Dragon Balls has the same restrictions as ours.

**"Well hey! It just so happens that you've got an in with the guy who can get you that kind of information!"** A nasally voice rang out in the hospital room, turning Roshi, Bulma, Krillin, Gohan, and Chi-Chi's gazes skyward.

"Oh, hey King Kai!" Goku weakly spoke up in his bed, trying and failing to prop himself up into a sitting position. "We would really appreciate you lending us a hand here…"

**"Of course, of course. Now, let me see... "** The blue Kai hummed to himself, his antennae twitching as he worked to suss out the location of this possible Namekian planet. With a little rush of energy, he was able to pinpoint the location exactly!

**"Ah, yes, there it is! But I must warn you, it seems that some sort of cataclysm has caused hundreds, if not thousands, of casualties. There only seems to be maybe a hundred remaining Namekians."** Though, a hundred was still more than nothing, and surely at least one of them would know about the Dragon Balls.

**"Planet Namek's coordinates are Bearing SU83, 9045YX." **King Kai finished his relaying of data, giving a pensive hum at the state of Namek. _'Hopefully they will find what they're looking for.'_

"Wait a minute, those coordinates sound pretty far out... " Bulma pulled out her calculator, jotting the given numbers in. "Well, the good news is that we know exactly where Namek is, but the bad news is that - even with the fastest spaceship on the planet - it's still over a four thousand year trip, _one way!_" It was a severe blow, and with that revelation it seemed that all might be lost.

Their heads hung low at the realization, and once again the brief stint of happiness that had begun to well in them was fading.

"What're you guys getting so sad about?" Krillin grinned, letting out a little chuckle. "Let's just use the Saiyans' space ships!"

"What are you saying, Krillin? Vegeta escaped in their ship, didn't he?" Roshi crossed his arms. Had Krillin hit his head one too many times during that battle?

"Yeah, but he escaped in a small ship. It looked like it was made for one guy, at most! That means his dead buddy's ship is still probably out there somewhere!"

"That's true, and there was the ship that my brother came to Earth in too!" Goku paused. "...Though uh, I'm pretty sure Gohan broke _that _one."

Krillin pulled out a small device that was sitting in his folded, tattered up gi beside the bed, a remote of some sort. "I found this, thought there was a chance it could be useful, so I picked it up. I think Vegeta used one of these to summon his space pod, so it has to be the remote control they use for them, right?"

Bulma snagged the remote from Krillin with a joyful look on her face, bouncing in place. "Y-yeah! With this, we might actually be able to do it, there's still hope!"

Of course, as if perfectly timed, the news playing on the hospital room's television was playing a report on a mysterious spherical device that had been found in the crater where the Saiyans had come out of upon their arrival.

"Oh, I just can't wait to see the look on their faces when that pod goes flying out of there." Bulma punches in some directions that would make the pod float outside of the hospital window. "A blip here… a beep there…" SHe muttered to herself, about to push the red button she assumed would confirm the command. At the last second though, she hesitated, and instead pushed a more benign, black looking button right above it.

On the news, scientists in the crater began to panic as the pod was spurred to live, rumbling and beginning to hover over the ground, inch by inch.

_"Something appears to be happening, the pod has lifted off of the ground on its own accord- oh my gosh, the pod has just shot off like a bullet, we've already lost visual on it!"_ The reporter spoke, startled at the sudden change of events. _"Back to you at the studio, we'll update you on this story as soon as possible!"_

A distant whirring noise came closer and closer, the pod stopping and floating right outside the window of the hospital room, more or less where Bulma had intended for it to be. The Z-fighters gave a cheer as the blue-haired genius hurried over to the window, the pod door opening and resting on the window frame itself.

"Alright!" Looking over her shoulder, she flashed a grin at her friends. "I think I'm gonna take this back to Capsule Corp. and run some tests, see if there's maybe some improvements to be made to it." The genius slowly stepped up onto the window sill, shaking a little as she realized she would have to step out into the open air to get into the pod.

Shaking a bit from fear, she lowered down into a squat, crawling onto the curved door of the pod and scurrying across the small gap into the safety of the surprisingly comfortable seat within. Adjusting herself to be sitting upright, she gave a small victorious fist pump, before turning her gaze back to the hospital room.

"I'll let you guys know as soon as it's ready!" Bulma waved, punching in some new commands into the remote and once again pushing the black button. The pod door shut with a gentle hiss, and as quickly as the pod had arrived at the hospital, it was gone.

The others were left in a bit of a stunned silence, until it was broken by the weak laugh of Goku. Once he started to laugh, one by one the rest were able to find it in themselves. Soon, everyone, even Gohan, was laughing!

With this, they would be able to get their friends back!

* * *

Well, it seems that the story is unfolding a little differently than we're familiar with already! Truth be told, in my original outline for the story I had the pod self-destruct as per usual, but I decided this might be a more interesting route to go down.

Instead of relying on Kami's ship to make the trip to Namek, now, Bulma has the space pod to tinker with, and with her working alongside her father from the get-go, I think it's clear as to where my intentions with this little change lie.

I'm hoping that this little introductory chapter will set the tone for the kinds of deviations that will be happening over time!

Please, feel free to leave some feedback in a review. If you have questions or suggestions I'd love to hear them! I have an outline drafted all the way to the end of the Namek saga, but given I just slashed out about ten lines from it with that last-second change, I don't see why I can't consider changing other stuff too!


	2. Chapter 1: Departure

Chapter 1: Departure

The others had yet to hear from Bulma, even after a couple weeks of working on the pod - surely, it didn't take anywhere _near_ that long to confirm that the ship was in working order, right? Or did she damage it while doing her inspection, maybe?  
On the contrary - Bulma had been hard at work from the second she touched down in her backyard, startling her mother and father alike with such an arrival. When she told her father what she intended to do, he posed the idea that instead of relying on the alien technology, they break it down and reverse engineer it into something of their own creation.  
"Consider it a father-daughter bonding experience, if you will!" Dr. Briefs had said with a little chuckle, before giving his daughter a pat on the shoulder. "Come, now, let's get that thing into the workshop and get to taking it apart. I'm rather curious as to its propulsion method!"

* * *

Two weeks on, Bulma finally broke the radio silence, heading to the hospital with nothing but good news. She briskly walked past the reception desk, not needing to ask which room her friends were in nor needing to stop and be given permission to see them.  
The elevator ride up to the hospital room felt extremely long for the blue-haired genius, who was practically bouncing in place with excitement at the news she had for her friends. Once they had reverse-engineered the space pod, it had been surprisingly simple to understand how the propulsion mechanism worked, and with this new knowledge they were able to make something grand and new for the trip!  
With a ding of the elevator doors, she was off, hurriedly making her way down the hall in a slight sprint towards the room. She swung the door open with gusto, nearly slamming it into the wall as she made her dramatic entrance."Hey, guys! I've got good news and nothing but!"

All the occupants of the room - being Goku, Gohan, Chi-Chi, and Krullin - turned their heads to Bulma, taken aback by her high-energy state. The last time they had seen her, she was a mess of emotions, trying to cope with the loss of Yamcha and the possibility that she may _never_ see him again. Now, though, it was like none of that had ever happened, in the way she carried herself.  
"Hey, Bulma, what's the news?" Goku smiled dully at his childhood friend, a bit too hopped up on morphine to be considered 'in his right mind'. That's to be expected, though, given he only exasperated his injuries in futile attempts to train, despite his rather broken state.

"I am _glad_ you asked, Goku!" She pulled out her phone, setting it on the table beside Goku's bed and tapping a button. A holographic projection displayed above it in a low resolution, and in the projection was a ship that appeared to be of the same spherical design of the Saiyan pods, but larger.  
"When I brought the ship back to Capsule Corp., my dad and I decided that we'd take it apart and figure out how it worked, so that we could make something tailored for the mission instead of having to just make due with what we had." Gesturing to the holographic display, she continued what almost felt like a pitch of the ship.  
"We increased the scale of the ship so that it could _comfortably_ house up to three people at once, and we outfitted it with a generous amount of supplies, both food and otherwise. The ship has a fully capable autopilot, which I intend to program with the coordinates of both Namek and Earth, so that you can decide amongst yourselves who will be going without having to worry about little ol' me." Of course, she wouldn't be _opposed_ to going, but around these guys something always seemed to go wrong on adventures, so the bluenette felt no great disappointment if she were to be excluded.  
"Last, but DEFINITELY not least, we've installed an experimental 'GAD', or Gravity Augmenting Device, into the main floor of the ship." This was certainly their shining achievement of the past couple of weeks, and it showed on her face, eyes sparkling with pride as she waxed on. "I figured that those weighted pieces of clothing you guys work could be improved on, and so I'd already been prototyping a device that could manually change the gravity around itself when I realized that it would be perfect for the ship!"  
"It can only go up to twenty times Earth's gravity, but it's a good start!" Bulma put her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest with a prideful grin.

"Wow, twenty times gravity, huh? King Kai's planet was only _ten_ times, so that'll be a challenge even for me!" Goku laughed, making it clear in his words that he intended to be one of the people on that ship.  
"Goku, what are you saying?" Chi-Chi frowned, resting a hand on her husband's mess of hair. "You can't really be saying you want to start pushing yourself that hard the second you get out of here, can you? You _just_ got back from being dead, and then you almost died again!"  
"Well, yeah, but I already planned to go to find the Dragon Balls. In case anything goes wrong, I don't want to be sitting here on Earth while my friends are in trouble." Not to mention that the pool of people from which they could choose was rather small. Even smaller, if they only considered those capable of fighting.  
Chi-Chi was visibly distressed by Goku's words, however she kept silent and simply played with his hair. Maybe, when he wasn't as hopped up on meds, she could sit down with him and try to talk him out of it.

"Speaking of.." Krillin slipped off of his bed, walking over to Goku's bed. "I uh, I want to go with you, Goku." Krillin grinned, crossing his arms and staring at his bedridden friend. "It'll be an adventure like old times, and plus you'll need me around to make sure you don't get yourself in any trouble." The bald monk gave a little chuckle, the idea of going on a hunt for the Dragon Balls with Goku again being a refreshing idea, after a year of training followed by so much loss.  
He had to imagine that they were just as eager to get the Dragon Balls and bring him back to life back when he died to Piccolo Sr., so it wouldn't be fair if he did anything less than return the favor!

"That's great, Krillin! I might even be able to teach you some of the stuff I learned from King Kai, if there's time." Goku was equally as excited about the idea of going on this trip with his childhood rival - they had learned so much together and pushed each other to grow back then, and even though the gap had widened, the earth-born Saiyan was just as excited to push Krillin to new heights now.  
"Do you know how long it'll be until there's more Senzu beans, Bulma?" Goku turned back to Bulma, hoping that she would have good news in that regard as well.  
"Well, last I checked with Yajirobe, Korin said he should be able to get a few senzu done for you guys in the next week, give or take a couple of days, so by the time the ship is fully tested and ready to go you should be fit for travel!" Bulma pulled through with that little gem of good news, giving Goku a thumbs-up.  
"Really? Awesome!" Goku tried to give a little excited thumbs-up of his own, only to wince and settle back down. "Ow… the sooner, the better. I'm goin' crazy, stuck in bed like this…" Chi-Chi shook her head, still unable to understand why her husband was so eager to get back out into the thick of it as quickly as possible.

Throughout their discussion, Gohan had been silently listening from his own hospital bed, fists clenched on his lap while he struggled with an inner-turmoil.  
_'You should go with them. You're the reason Mr. Piccolo died, so you should go and help bring him back.'_  
_'But what if I just freeze up and get in the way again…? What if I just get Daddy or mister Krillin hurt like Mr. Piccolo?'_

'_But you won't! You know better now, you're not gonna hesitate.'_  
Gohan's own self-doubt was eating away at him, and not only that, but guilt as well. Maybe, if he hadn't frozen up when Nappa fired that blast at him, both he and Piccolo would have survived the battle. Maybe, they would have been able to revive everyone without all these extra steps.  
"I…" Gohan was squeezing his fists so hard that he might hurt himself, so hesitant to speak yet unable to keep it in any longer. "I want to go to Namek, too."

A hushed silence fell over the room, and Chi-Chi walked over to Gohan's bed with a little laugh. "Now, now, Gohan. This kind of thing isn't for little kids. Your father and Krillin will go to Namek on their own to get the Dragon Balls, and you'll stay here and work on catching upon the year's worth of studies that you missed out on.

"No, Mom... I'm the reason that Mr. Piccolo died, so I _need_ to go with them and help revive him." Gohan replied in a small voice, unable to make eye contact with his mother but for a brief second before turning away.

"Nonsense, Gohan, nobody blames you; you're just a little boy who got scared… which is _exactly_ why you shouldn't be going on this potentially dangerous trip to a planet so far away from Earth!" Chi-Chi's voice almost held an air of mild desperation in it, as if trying to convince her son rather than tell him.

"Mom, I-" Gohan tried to speak up once more, but Chi-Chi cut him off before he could get any further.

"You will be staying here and studying while they go, and that is _that._ I will not hear any more of this 'going with them' stuff from you, young man, do you hear me?"

"But I-"

"Absolutely _no_ buts, Gohan! You are five years old, and should not even be entertaining the idea that you would **ever** be allowed to go on that kind of dangerous adventure to revive some _monster_, who kidnapped you and kept you from your own family for a whole-!"

"I'M **GOING!**" Gohan snapped, his anger boiling over at being cut off so many times. "You weren't there when the big guy shot that blast at me. You didn't have to watch Mr. Piccolo throw his life away because I froze in the middle of the fight!" Hot tears streamed down the young boy's face.  
"It's **my** fault that he's dead, and I'm going to help them bring him back, with or without you approval!" His voice broke towards the end of his sentence, and when he stopped speaking, it was clear that nothing in the world would change his mind.

Chi-Chi was in a stunned silence, her eyes wide and her jaw slack. Gohan had never been so vocal, let alone about a topic as adult as this. As much as she wanted to be upset with him for yelling at his mother, she couldn't help but feel a degree of pride that he felt such responsibility.  
_'He really is like his father, isn't he…'_ She thought to herself, undecided on if that were a good thing or not. After a painfully heavy silence, she rested her hand on his shoulder, and nodded softly. "If you feel this strongly about it… don't let me get in the way."  
Gohan looked up, surprised at the change in tone from his mother. "But-" There it is. "-I still expect you to keep up your studies while you're gone, okay? This is my one and only condition."

Gohan smiled at Chi-Chi, returning her nod with a small nod and smile of his own. "Okay, Mom…"

"Well, then. It's settled." Bulma was glad that the tense interaction was able to at least end on such a positive note. "Goku, Krillin, and Gohan, the three of you will meet me at Capsule Corp. as soon as Goku is able to get a Senzu, and you'll take off for Namek."  
"By my calculations, due to the increased mass of this ship compared to the original pod, it should only take you about two weeks to get there. It'll probably be a month round trip, so be sure to pack with that in mind." Bulma made her leave, heading for the door.  
"Until then, Dad and I will be working on the finishing touches and running diagnostics, so that nothing should go wrong for you guys while you're out there in space." After all, if Bulma _wasn't_ going with them, it only made it that much more imperative that the ship be fully operational and that all redundant systems be double and triple-checked.

* * *

It was eight days later that Yajirobe made the trip from Korin's tower to the hospital, small brown pouch secured firmly to his waistband. When he arrived at the hospital room it was only Goku, on account of Krillin and Gohan being discharged quite a few days earlier.

"Oh, hey Yajirobe. Are the Senzu ready already?" Goku greeted the fat samurai from the bed, getting his answer when Yajirobe took the pouch off of his belt and pulled out a small, green bean from it. He tossed it Goku's way, and the Saiyan caught it in his mouth, chewing it up and swallowing.  
The nurse present, having been checking his vitals and noting it on his chart, opened her mouth in protest, only for Goku to hop out of the bed as if he was perfectly fine!

"Alright, I feel fantastic!" Goku grinned, blowing his casts off with a burst of ki, leaving him in his hospital gown. Seemingly oblivious to the stunned nurse, who hurried by Yajirobe to inform the doctor of this seemingly divine event of healing, Goku did some basic stretches, throwing a couple of punches to gauge how he felt.  
"Wow, I think I even feel a bit stronger than when I fought Vegeta! I bet I could take him on, no sweat, now!" He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, yeah." Yajirobe tossed the rest of the beans Goku's way, turning and heading out of the room. "Anyways, I've gotta go get myself some grub. Don't lose those, 'cause it ain't like we've got a bunch of them growing up there or anything. See ya."

Goku was left alone in the room for a moment or two, before he felt a tug in the back of his mind.

"**Hello, my boy, are you there?**"

"Oh, hey King Kai, what's up?" Goku looked up to the ceiling happily.

"**I placed a little surprise in the cupboard next to your hospital bed. Go ahead and open it up.**"

"Huh, a surprise?" Goku crouched down and opened the cupboard in question, finding a n orange and black gi, unlike his previous one, folded neatly alongside his Power Pole.

"**I was able to transfer your old Power Pole that you told me about from Kami's Lookout to your hospital room, per his request. I also took the liberty of giving your wardrobe a little update - consider it the 'Turtle-King Kai Disciple Attire. One of a kind!**"

Goku had slipped on the new gi while King Kai spoke, grinning. "It fits perfectly, and it looks pretty nice too!" The gi was a more traditional one, the top not tucked in but rather flowing down his legs a short way in his signature orange color. The pants were a dark grey, rather than a matching orange, and the blues of his belt, sweatbands, and boots had been darkened a few shades.

"**Glad to know you like my handiwork. Now, I believe you have a ship to catch?**"

"Thanks again, King Kai!" Goku put the Power Pole over his shoulder just as the nurse from before returned with the doctor, both of which watched as Goku opened the hospital room window and stepped up onto the window frame.

Before they could stop him he leaped off the edge, and they ran to the window to look down at the falling man. However, by the time they made it over, Goku had flown away, leaving them perplexed as there was no body to be seen on the sidewalk below.

* * *

Goku, Gohan, and Krillin all arrived to Capsule Corp. together, having been gathered up by Goku following his departure from the hospital. Gohan's hair had been cut, however it was rather messy and almost chaotic - Chi-Chi had intended to give him a bowl cut, however Goku arrived in time to save him from such a fate. Instead, his hair held a vague resemblance to Goku's own, however still having its own uniqueness to it.  
Gohan was clad in a small suit, which Goku was a little too late to save the young boy from as well, which had resulted in a couple teasing remarks from Krillin when he'd first saw it.

"Glad to see you guys all made it! It just so happens that the final run of diagnostics wrapped up this morning, so you're right on time!" Bulma approached the trio, wearing an oil-stained tank top and baggy yellow cargo pants. "Nice outfit, Goku." She took a once-over on Goku's new outfit, which - combined with the power pole - almost reminded her of his childhood clothing.

"Thanks, King Kai made it for me!" Goku grinned, turning his attention to the Capsule Ship itself. "Whoa… it looks massive, even bigger than it did on that hologram thingy!" He walked up to the structure, which was resting on four landing legs that extended from small gear bays on the bottom half of the sphere.  
"You like it, huh? Go ahead and take a look inside. We're just fuelling it up for your departure right now." Bulma gestured towards the open door, making her way around the back of the ship where fuel was steadily being pumped in.

Goku, Gohan, and Krillin all stepped up onto the stairs, climbing into the ship and taking in the interior. The main room contained a console in the middle of the room - likely the Gravity Augmenter that Bulma had mentioned in the hospital - and a set of three seats at the 'front' of the ship. There was a monitor and some complex-looking controls in front of the seats, however a large red button in the middle of the panel said "AUTO-PILOT", solving any possible confusion they may have had .

Outside of the main floor was a small attic with sleeping quarters, a bathroom, and a small kitchen, and _underneath_ the main floor doubled as a maintenance bay and storage crawlspace. It was some solid construction, for sure!

Gohan slipped off his backpack - full to the brim with various books that he had managed to prune down the massive pile into - and hung it on the back of one of the seats, sitting down and kicking his feet while he waited for the ship to be prepared.  
Krillin approached the console in the center of the room, a black and white display reading "**0 Gs**" with an up and down arrow to one side, and a 'RESET' button to the other. "This must be that gravity thing Bulma mentioned." Walking around it, almost like the 'core' of the ship, he whistled. "For what she's saying it can do, it's pretty compact, eh Goku?"  
"I'll say. King Kai's planet is like five times as big as the ship, and it can barely do ten times!" Goku was pretty impressed as well, though truthfully he expected nothing less from Bulma, the genius she is.

Speak of the devil, Bulma stepped onto the staircase with a smile. "Alright, the ship is all fueled up and ready to go! Do you guys need to wait for anyone to come and say goodbye or are you heading out now?"  
"Nah, we all met up at Kame House when we picked up Krillin, and said our goodbyes there." Goku replied nonchalantly, walking over to Bulma. Noticing that something was bothering her, he put his hand on her shoulder, looking down at her with a firm gaze. "We're gonna bring them back. All of them."  
"I know you guys will." Bulma smiled up at Goku, when she seemed to take pause all of a sudden.. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out the Dragon Radar, handing it to her childhood friend. "You'll wanna bring this with you, or else you'll be there searching for a while."  
Goku took it, stowing it in his gi with a thumbs up. "Got it! Anyways, we should probably get going, before Chi-Chi decides to change her mind and come drag Gohan off the ship or something." He snickers, heading to the pilot seat while Bulma stepped off the ship with an idle wave.

Sitting down at the console, he heard the door shut with a soft hiss, and turned his attention to the Autopilot button. "Krillin, Gohan, you guys strapped in?"

"Yep!" They both replied in unison.

Goku strapped himself in, his palm hovering over the large button. _'Hold tight in Otherworld, guys. You'll be back soon.'_ With that, he pushed the button, and the ship rumbled to life.

It lifted off of the ground a few inches, the landing gear retracting into the main body of the vessel, and with a shrill noise, it shot off into space. One second, it was there, and the next, it was gone.

Just like that, their new journey began.

* * *

Full disclosure, I wrote this chapter in one go the day after uploading the prologue, because I was so hyped up about the reception so far and I wanted to make sure I didn't take another two or so weeks just to do an hour of writing. I'm really happy with how this chapter unfolded, and I'm sure it's showing that I've made some small tweaks to character personalities, so I'd love to know what you guys think of that!

The ship taking twice as long to get to Namek is yet another small change I've made, however if you follow the timeline they'll likely not arrive any earlier or later… barring any complications, that is!

Anyways, if you're wondering what Goku's new gi looks like, it's actually the cover image for the story!

I hope you guys like this chapter just as much (and more) than the prologue. Be sure to leave a review, tell me what you like and what you dislike, and don't hesitate to give some constructive criticism if you feel you could add to the story!


	3. Chapter 2: The Voyage

Chapter 2: The Voyage

Goku stood before Gohan and Krillin, staring at the two with a calm, serious gaze. Shortly after they took off from Earth, they decided it might be best to get to training sooner rather than later. After all, with the gravity augmenting feature of the ship in mind, they would want as much time as possible to adjust to the heightened gravity, to allow for more intense training.  
"I think it'd be a good idea to start at ten times Earth's gravity, just like I did on King Kai's planet." Goku began with a smile. "I gotta warn ya' guys, though, that it's hard to get used to and you _need_ to tell me if it's too much for either or both of you." This comment in particular was directed more at Gohan than Krillin, given that Gohan was still a very young child and might not be able to handle the gravity as well as the older monk.  
"I was dead when I got used to this, so I didn't need to worry about gettin' too exhausted and ending up crushed under the weight, or passing out from exhaustion." At least, not to the same degree. Even if he did get crushed, being dead meant he would be a lot better off than a living person - the same is true for if he were to pass out.

"We understand, Goku. Right, Gohan?" Krillin turned his gaze to the son of his friend, who gave a small and eager nod. Gohan was very excited to be training alongside not only his father but Krillin, who Goku had told many a story about on sleepless nights for the young half-Saiyan. He hoped to impress them both, and to exceed their expectations.

"Well, alrighty then!" With a small chuckle, Goku turned and dialed up the gravity to 10Gs, hitting the button to activate the increased gravity with a light tap. "Ten times Earth's gravity, starting… now!"  
The room became tinted red with the machine humming to live, and - slowly but surely - all three felt as if an increasing amount of weight was pressing down on every inch of their body, inside and out. While Goku seemed perfectly fine, as if he wasn't ten times his normal weight, Gohan and Krillin were a different story entirely.  
Krillin's stance had began to widen as the gravity amped up, and with each increment towards the full ten G's he found it increasingly hard not to fall over from the weight. His whole body felt impossible to lift, and when the gravity leveled out he just couldn't stay standing, falling to one knee with a heavy thud. Slamming one hand to the ground to keep himself from falling any further, his entire body was shaking from the strain the increased gravity put it under.  
Gohan, meanwhile, had collapsed to his knees long before it ever leveled out. Feeling as though he were locked in place, the young boy struggled to even lift his head. As quickly as sweat formed on his brow it was drawn to the ground under the intense gravity, sizzling for the briefest moments as it evaporated away under the increased heat of the environment.

"G-geez, Goku…!" Krillin's words came out strained and through grit teeth, as he slowly managed to lift his head to stare up to his friend. "Y-you mean to tell me that you had to _live_ in this kind of gravity... for months…?!" He was slowly but surely pushing up from his kneel, though his muscles screamed in resistance even after such a short time in the heightened gravity.  
'_It's… unreal! Weighted training gear doesn't even hold a candle to this; it's like my __**body**__ is the training gear!'_ The short monk squeezed his hands into fists, straightening up into a standing position with a drawn-out grunt.

"Yep, that's right!" Goku wasn't surprised that Krillin was able to get back to his feet so quickly - though he may not be the strongest, Krillin was certainly one of the most determined people he knew. "It's pretty bad at first, but man oh man, once you get used to it, ya' basically just feel like yer' standing in normal gravity!"

Gohan let out weak grunts, fighting to move from his position and failing. His veins bulged and muscles burned solely from the effort of keeping himself from flattening to the tiled floor, let alone getting back onto his feet! Already the son of Goku was sweating profusely, but he wasn't going to give up that easily!  
The white glow of his aura blended into the red glow of the room as he summoned all of his strength, fighting against the forces that were pushing down on him so harshly. Finally, he was making ground, as he leaned back onto his feet; shifting into a squat, he paid no mind to either his father or Krillin. He began to straighten out his legs, which were shaking under the tremendous burden of Gohan's body. Truthfully, he worried that at any second his body would give out on him, but he persisted.  
"That's right, Gohan, you've got it!" Gohan could hear Goku and Krillin encouraging him as he was in the final stretch, just needing to straighten up his body and get his hands lifted at his sides. He slowly balled his hands into fists, lifting his head to look at his father with a small grin as his back straightened out, and he stood successfully!

"Good work, both of you!" Goku gave a brief clap, before putting his hands on his hips. "Now, I want you two to start walking and running laps around the room, to help get 'yer bodies used to the gravity. Once you can move at a jogging pace, we'll start training regularly, _or_ if you want we can just increase the gravity. I'll let you two choose when we get that far." He was more than happy to take the role of teacher, as Krillin and Gohan took laborious, unsteady steps.  
Their feet barely lifted away from the tile, falling with a heavy crash a short distance ahead of where they'd been lifted from. Every step caused the two gravity-newbies to stagger forward and nearly fall flat on their face, but each time they would regain their balance and composure,  
Not only that but with each step they began to find a rhythm. Though it hadn't become easier to take each individual step, it was already becoming gradually easier for them to take one step after the next.  
Gohan's rhythm involved trying to remain as straight as possible with each step, to avoid losing momentum by needing to regain his balance after every step. It worked, but his individual pace slowed as a result of more focus going into his overall pose than the steps themselves.  
Meanwhile, Krillin was taking a more intuitive approach - with the lack of balance that sprung from the heavy footfall, his body would be thrown forward, and he would use that interia to bring his back foot in front, propelling himself by using the lack of balance and making it work for him rather than against him.  
While Gohan's method was more stable it was slow, and though Krillin's method allowed him to produce a greater pace overall, he ran the risk of getting smashed into the floor if he let his inertia throw him _too _far forward on any given step.  
It was an interesting dynamic for Goku to observe, but as he watched he noticed the increasing gap that sprouted from their differing methods.  
While Gohan's method had less overall risk, he was stuck at roughly the same pace at any given point. His body could only adjust to the heightened gravity so quickly, and so it would take copious amounts of walking and laps for this method to prove beneficial.  
In a contrast, Krillin's method allowed for adjustment and the chance to adapt. By the time he made his first successful lap, his movements were more fine-tuned and effective than when he had first started out. This meant that he could do more with the same amount of energy, and in addition he was quickening in pace.

'_Krillin, you took the option that had greater risk but had greater reward if you could keep it up for long enough.'_ Goku thought to himself, his gaze shifting to his son, who was only just completing his first lap while Krillin was a ways into his second one. _'Gohan, you took the option that was safer from the get-go, but it left you with no immediate ways to improve.'_ Goku could see how the different levels of experience between the two affected their training even from this very first exercise, and it was why he chose it in particular.  
With his eyes focused on Krillin, he smiled lightly. _'Maybe you'll be able to learn it, too... '_

* * *

The first day of training comprised of half-hour periods of running laps, followed by ten minutes to rest and get water, before being put under the increased gravity once more and running laps again. Gohan and Krillin continued to use their own methods of adaption, and as a result the gap in their progress continued to widen.  
Goku pondered if he should say something, but decided he would hold it until the end of the day - he planned for day two to work on the weak spots of day one, so it only made sense to allow those mistakes to flow until then.  
Krillin was bold enough to turn his trudging into a rather slow run, one foot barely hitting the subtly-cracked floor before the other was being thrown ahead. Though he found it hard to slow himself, the short man was elated that he was making such sizable progress so quickly. _'Alright, this is great!'_ His steps continues to hit the floor with mild crashes, each footfall only worsening the small cracks that their repeated path around the room had created.  
'_At this rate I should adjust to ten times gravity with no problems! I bet once I'm up to pace with Goku, I can keep up with him too!'_ Krillin kept himself motivated with the idea of once again gaining enough strength to rival his friend, despite the ever-widening gap that had grown between them ever since the 23rd Martial Arts tournament. Though it seemed like that gap would only continue to widen, the monk refused to just accept defeat.  
And so, he continued in his mild sprint around the room, zoning out everything around him and putting his all into the movements, flowing through them rather than treating them as step after step.

Gohan was less than impressed with his own progress, however the young boy was still excited at the prospect of what this training would mean. Not only was he getting to spend time with his dad, but if he could acclimate himself to the gravity then maybe he could get just as strong as his father, too? It was definitely a stretch, but the image of a proud Goku congratulating him kept Gohan going in his rather stilted fashion.  
At the very least, he felt like he had adjusted to the gravity a bit over the first day. Even if he wasn't running laps like Krillin - whose pace was enough to produce a slight breeze every time he passed Gohan by - he was making progress at his own pace, in his own way, and that was just as important to the Son boy as anything else.

Goku, having grown bored of watching the two run laps at some point, chose to train himself in regards to his Kaio-Ken technique. While Gohan and Krillin ran laps, Goku steadied himself where he stood and sank into a powerup stance.  
His muscles bulged outward in his gi as he summoned power from deep within, little red bolts of electricity crackling around him as the red of the room almost seemed to darken about his frame. Whipping up a small bit of wind, Goku activated the Kaio-Ken times two, his veins bulging out on his face and neck as he did so.  
'_The Kaio-Ken is an extremely valuable technique… I wouldn't have defeated Vegeta without it! But I need to train my body to handle it better, or else every fight is going to hinge on me winning within the first few blows!'_ Goku's goal was to at the very least acclimate his body to the times two Kaio-Ken by the end of their voyage, whether on the way or on the way back, so that the next time he needed to call upon the strength he would be left less hindered after the fact.

With every passing second that he maintained the form, he began to feel his muscles crying out as if he had been doing the same kinds of strenuous exercise that he had Gohan and Krillin doing. Sweating profusely, Goku's body began to tremble as he was steadily pushing himself into the uncharted territory of Kaio-Ken usage, duration-wise at least.  
His breathing had become ragged and he felt his composure weaken a bit, but very quickly he straightened himself up and held onto the summoned power of the technique.  
'_Come on, Goku. If you can't do this then you might as well not use the technique at all,' _He thought to himself, a rather pessimistic form of encouragement for the usually-optimistic Saiyan. It was a matter of 'whatever works', in his mind, for the motivation to gain a greater mastery of the Kaio-Ken.

* * *

Gohan was lost in his head as he made his laps, moving on autopilot in his slow yet steady way while trying to climb through the mountain of thoughts he'd buried himself in. Ever since he woke up in the hospital after the battle against the Saiyans, he hadn't been able to shake the guilt that Piccolo's death was wholly on him.  
'_If I was just a little stronger, or faster… If I hadn't frozen…'_ Gohan thought to himself, once again on top of the many times he had before. _'Maybe, if I was better… Mister Piccolo would still be alive.'_ The thought hung heavy in the young boy, who shouldn't have even had to feel the weight of death so young, and yet was burdened with not only death, but the guilt of feeling _responsible_ for that death.  
It was the driving force for why he pushed the matter of going to Namek, and it was the only reason the young boy still stood. Truth be told, while his strength was great his stamina didn't hold a candle to Krillin or his father, whose strength had been built on a foundation of gruesome labor, rather than being repeatedly beaten to a pulp until he learned how to avoid the blows.  
All of these things gnawed at the half-Saiyan, making his human side shrink with shame and his Saiyan side boil with anger. How could he be so weak? How could he have allowed himself to be so vulnerable that somebody else had to throw their life away for his sake?  
Gohan's steps had increased in pace, unbeknownst to him, as the anger and guilt he felt began to manifest in the form of power, as it had many times before.  
'_How could you, Gohan? All you had to do was get out of the way, but instead you sat there gawking at the big guy like you were chained to the dirt!'  
_Gohan's pace had quickened enough that he was beginning to keep even with Krillin, not in lap count but rather pace. His aura was clinging to his body, pulsing outward in rhythm with his pulse as his stilted movements became a steady speedwalk.  
His eyes stung with tears that were wrenched away and to the floor, stinging his cheeks and urging him to move faster, to grow stronger. The aura around him began to grow stronger, small bursts of wind pushing out from him with each step as he began to run.  
By this point, Goku and Krillin had taken heed to not only Gohan's increased pace, but his seemingly increased power - where it normally was roughly even to Krillin, it felt as if it could easily be in the ballpark of double Krillin's, if not a little more. Krillin managed to halt his perpetual movements, and simply watched as Gohan was sprinting around the room, tears dripping down his face and an expression of anger in his eyes.  
'_Push it, Gohan, __**push it!**__ Make yourself go faster until you can't go anymore, press your body so that you'll be strong enough next time!'_ Gohan began to falter, unable to maintain the increased power as it fluctuated, his faltering only making him lose hold quicker.  
'_Come on!'_ Gohan took one last determined step before the power dissipated all at once, bringing the young boy to his knees in a ragged state. Sucking air in and barely able to maintain his kneel, Gohan felt the weight of the gravity lift off of him as Goku punched the toggle on the gravity function.

"Gohan, you good?" Krillin was at the young boy's side, a hand on his shoulder while he eyed Gohan with concern. "You were pushing yourself pretty hard there, if I didn't know any better I woulda guessed you were using the Kaio-Ken like Goku or somethin'." The monk chuckled, helping Gohan to his feet.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine… I just got a little lost in my head, is all…" The son of Goku responded, wiping his eyes with a sniffle. He felt a hand on his head, and the wild-haired boy lifted his gaze to meet his father's smiling face.

"Gohan, that was amazing. I don't know where that power came from, but if you can do that again, you'll be adjusted to the gravity in no time!" Goku spoke with a chuckle, ruffling his son's hair before heading towards the ladder between floors.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink, the two of you catch your breath then come join me, okay?" Goku had planned to explain to Gohan about his methods' weaknesses at the end of their training, but all at once that need had dissipated as he watched with pride as Gohan sprinted around the room with what seemed like ease.

'_That's my boy.'_ Goku grinned goofily as he drank the energy drink he'd retrieved from the fridge, excited to see the heights of power and potential that Gohan seemed to have latent within him.

* * *

That was fun to write! I get into this zone when writing training scenes or fighting scenes because it's just such a good time to write the thought processes and the arduous movements that are taken in either scenario.  
I kept this chapter focused on Gohan and Krillin more than Goku, and more on Gohan than Krillin, but while this chapter took a peek into Gohan's ever-latent potential, the next chapter will take a focus on Krillin… What that might mean, I guess you'll just have to wait to find out!


	4. Chapter 3: Arrival

Chapter 3: The Arrival

A week had passed since Goku, Krillin, and Gohan departed for Namek in the Capsule Ship, and both Gohan and Krillin had made remarkable progress in their adjustment to the ten times' gravity. Gohan had managed to pull ahead over the week, in part thanks to his comparably higher half-Saiyan durability but also because he was learning how to push himself into a more mild version of the power that he seemed to get whenever he was enraged.  
Because of this, Gohan was jogging around the room within the first few days, while it had taken Krillin practically the entire first week to reach the same benchmark of progress. Even so, they still tired out easily under the pressure of ten times' gravity, and it was becoming clear that ten times was probably as high as they would be able to safely withstand on the trip to Namek.  
That was nothing to scoff at, though, given that for Goku it took him quite a bit longer to adjust. Granted, he wore his weighted training gear and was only a fraction as strong as his son and friend, but their accomplishment was still impressive nonetheless.

Now, though, Goku trained alone on the "Gravity Room" floor, as they had come to call it. Figuring that Gohan and Krillin were having some well-deserved rest, he'd amped up the room to twenty times and increased the intensity of his Kaio-Ken training. Something about the increased gravity allowed him to more quickly adapt to the technique, and already he was able to hold the Times Two Kaio-Ken for remarkably longer than he had at the start of the week.

Goku cupped his hands at his side, his dark red aura flaring out in the already red-tinted room as he gathered up his energy, his power steadily rising as he prepared to fire a Kamehameha wave.  
_'Kaio-Ken, times three!'_ The ball of bright blue ki between his palms cut through the harsh red of the ship's main floor, mixing into an array of reds and blues and everything in between.  
"Ka… Me… Ha… Me…" The ball of energy suddenly and rapidly swelled in size, pushing against both of Goku's hands as he threw his hands forward. "**Ha!**" The blast shot forward, and Goku altered its course as to force it into a curve. It looped around the room at a rapid pace, during which time Goku dropped from the Times Three Kaio-Ken back to a Times Two.  
Throwing his hands out at the approaching blast, he attempted to catch it. Upon contact, the searing heat of the Turtle Devastation Wave burned his palms and the force of the blast left small cuts on his hands. He was being pushed back, inch by inch, sweat quickly dripping from his brow as he resisted the powerful attack.  
With every second he held it the energy was dissipating, and when it finally fizzled out, Goku let his arms fall to his sides with a small gasp; the Kaio-Ken aura about him dissolved, and Goku struggled not to fall over then and there from the exhaustive exercise he had just put himself through.

Slowly trudging to the center console, Goku de-activated the gravity machine and let himself sink against the side of the console, staring off at the wall and just allowing himself a moment to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. His arms quaked at his sides, and his body occasionally underwent shivers as it was still processing the challenging side-effects of the Kaio-Ken.  
_'I'm getting stronger, I can feel it... But I don't know if it's enough…'_ Goku cast his gaze down at the floor, panting softly still. _'I let Vegeta go in the heat of the moment because I wanted to fight him and beat him under my own power… but what if the next time I run into him I'm not strong enough? What if I haven't closed that gap and he defeats us?'  
_The decision he made back on Earth had begun to nag away at him - though at the moment it felt right, he knew that it was a poor choice and that there were way more risks than benefits that came with it. Had he allowed Krillin to kill Vegeta then and there, he wouldn't have to worry about the chance that they'd run into him in the near or distant future.  
Goku had always been one for mercy, but Vegeta… didn't really deserve it, did he? He was willing to kill his own comrade when he was reaching out to the Prince for help, and he showed no sympathy towards anyone. The earth-raised Saiyan truly felt that Vegeta _enjoyed_ inflicting pain, and all of these thoughts left him shaken in his decision-making skills.

It was in this distracted state that Krillin found Goku, having heard the commotion of his childhood friend's training, and been curious enough to stumble his way out of bed to come to look.  
_'He looks pretty down… I don't think I've ever seen him like this.'_ Krillin thought, pensively, as he walked across the room from the ladder to the console. Sitting down beside his friend, Krillin gave Goku a light nudge. It seemed to take Goku out of whatever train of thought had him so preoccupied, and he gave a weak grin.

"Oh, hey Krillin. I thought you and Gohan were asleep."

"Well, we were; I was. Your training kinda woke me up, and I came down to see how it was coming along." Krillin smiled back at his friend.

"Sorry about that, I was doin' some intense trainin', and I guess I figured you guys were so tired ya'd sleep right through it." Goku rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling a little.

"Hey, pal, it's fine… but uh, you alright? You had a pretty glum look on your face when I came down here. Seemed like you were thinking pretty hard about something."

Goku cast a glance over to his friend before his gaze found its way back up to the ceiling. "...Do you think I made the wrong choice, askin' you not to kill Vegeta?" The words seemed… hesitant. As if Goku was ready to take them back at a moment's notice. This had Krillin surprised - Goku was never uncertain, he was always confident in his choices, wasn't he?

Krillin had to think about how he would phrase his response, as to keep from feeding into whatever funk Goku had found himself in. "...I mean, I think if I killed him, that we wouldn't have to worry for the next time we run into him."

That only served to confirm Goku's worry, and it was clear on his face as the frown he had previously returned once more. "Yeah…"

"B-but uh, I mean... " Krillin sighed. "Look, Goku. Maybe killing him would have been the better choice; but the thing is, you've _always_ been the guy to show mercy even when they don't deserve it. It's just how you are. Sure, this time, your motivations were a bit misplaced but…" Krillin put his hand on Goku's shoulder.  
"I trust your judgment, Goku. I could've ignored you and killed the guy anyways, but I trust that if you believe you can handle him next time, that you can handle him."

Goku glanced at Krillin, then to the ceiling, before hesitantly turning to stare at the monk. "What if I _can't_, though? What if th'next time we run into him, he's even stronger and I can't handle him?" The worry Goku felt was etched into every word he spoke. How long had this been eating away at him?

"Well, even if you can't handle him by yourself, you'll have the rest of us by your side." Krillin gave Goku a small pat, smiling. "You don't have to deal with this alone, you know. I'm your friend, you can talk to me when something's bothering you."

Goku found it in himself to smile back, and the fire in his eyes seemed to return, albeit weaker. "Well… in that case." Goku turned his body towards Krillin. "How about I teach it to you?"

Krillin blinked. "T-teach what?"

The grin on Goku's face grew. "The Kaio-Ken."

* * *

Goku and Krillin stood facing each other, sweat beading down the latter's face as he let out hot, heavy breaths. Various veins were bulging against his skin, and despite the lack of ten times' gravity his skin looked several shades redder. His hands shook as he slowly squeezed them back into fists, sinking into a power-up stance and sucking in a deep breath.  
Slowly, his power begins to climb, bit by bit, while a red aura flickered in an out around him. Krillin grit his teeth as his muscles began to tense and swell slightly, red sparks of electricity arcing about his extremities. "K-k... K-kaio…!" Krillin sunk deeper into his squat, his power leveling off and wavering nowhere near twice his normal strength. _"K-kaio…!"_  
His muscles tightened and his power dropped in time with the fall of the monk himself, landing on his hands and knees as his vision swam. "Kaio-crap…" He mumbled, sweat pooling beneath him as he had to fight to keep himself conscious.

"That was great, Krillin! Yer' already doin' better today than ya' did yesterday!" Goku encouraged his fallen friend, squatting down and patting him on the damp shoulder. It was day four of their Kaio-Ken training, which they would do while Gohan slept. It was eating into their senzu supply, as Krillin would have to take one each night as to not be exhausted the next day, but it was definitely helping him progress!

"C-come on, Goku, that didn't feel any closer to success than the first day." Krillin staggered to his feet, wiping his brow and straightening up. "Are you sure I can even handle it? I barely power up at all before it feels like I'm being cooked from the inside out." Truth be told, Krillin's motivation was dropping, even if he was excited to be learning the technique that gave Goku a fighting chance against Vegeta back on Earth.

"Krillin, it took me maybe twice as long to make as much ground with the Kaio-Ken as you've made. Don't sell yourself short, you're doin' fine!" Goku rolled his shoulders, slipping down into a power-up stance of his own. "Now, don't just watch how _I_ do it… I want you to reach out with your energy and _feel_ how I'm doin' it."  
Goku took steady, deep breaths, tensing up his body and focusing his ki within himself. His power bubbled up at his core, steadily exceeding his maximum and spreading through him. The red aura of the Kaio-Ken enveloped him and electricity nipped at the air around him, as soon enough the hot ki of the Kaio-Ken technique had spread throughout his entire form.  
"Kaio-Ken, Times Two!" The aura pushed out on all sides, causing Krillin to stagger back as Goku held the power steady. After another moment, Goku released the power and stood tall once more. "Ya' see now?"

"I… I see…" Krillin had gotten a new glimpse into the process by observing in such a way. _'When I try to do it, I'm pushing my whole body at once, trying to spread it out from the beginning.'_ His gaze drifted down to his shaking hand, balling it into a tight fist. _'But because I'm spreading it out like that, it's splitting my focus too much and making it hard to get any real boost.'_  
"So I focus all my energy within my center, the very core of my body…" Krillin, though he looked ragged and beaten, sank back down into his stance once more. His eyes shut, and instead of sucking in one big breath he took in steady, calm ones. _'Focus…'_  
His power slowly gathered at his center, welling up and hitting his normal maximum. He began to concentrate it further, slowly amplifying it and increasing his power at a gradual yet steady pace. Little static shocks tickled at his skin as his energy rose, those shocks evolving into red sparks once more.  
Soon, his power exceeded its previous record in a fraction of the time, Krillin's breaths growing shaky yet remaining consistent as he felt the power begin to press on him. _'And let it spread as you power-up…'_ Letting it extend beyond his center, it suddenly became easier to push his power higher. The red aura began to build around him, wind kicking up in a circular motion about his form.  
Rising, building, spreading, Krillin gradually allowed more of his body to take on the strain of the expanded pool of energy, burning hotly within his short frame as he was steadily reaching the climax of this powerup. His throat rumbled as he let out a victorious yell:  
"**Kaio-Ken, Times Two!**"  
His aura shot out with a burst of wind, much like Goku's had before, and red electricity jumped about him excitedly. Krillin maintained this increased state of power for as long as he could - which wasn't long, only a matter of seconds at most - before releasing it all at once. His power dropped like a rock from its boosted state, but he stayed standing.

"Yeah! Alright!" Goku couldn't contain his excitement any longer, cheering and giving his friend a strong pat on the back. Poor Krillin nearly went crashing to the ground and would have if Goku hadn't caught him. "O-oops, sorry Krillin, I forgot ya were runnin' on empty…!"

"It's fine..!" Krillin let out a weak chuckle, his excitement muted by the exhaustion that had been steadily building throughout their intense Kaio-Ken training. Gently pulling away from his friend he was able to stand under his own power, wiping some sweat away and giving a proud grin.  
"Now that I understand how it works, it's only a matter of time before I catch up to you, Goku. You better train hard, or else you're getting left in the dust!" With this new success, Krillin's motivation had shot up like a rocket. With the Kaio-Ken in his array of abilities, he would be a much greater help in the coming battles for sure!

Krillin's smile was infectious, the doubt that had been weighing on Goku lightening up with the comforting fact that Krillin was able to achieve such a difficult feat. _'If Krillin can learn how to use the Kaio-Ken, and in such a short time too, then the next time Vegeta shows up I'm sure we'll win outright!'_  
The earth-raised Saiyan couldn't take back the decision that he'd made and couldn't guarantee his ability to nullify the risks that came with it, but with his friend by his side and both Krillin and Gohan's powers rising with each passing day, they stood a much better chance!

* * *

The few remaining days before their arrival on Namek were full of intense training. Though they still capped the gravity at ten times' when all three were training together, each fighter was improving vastly in their own ways.  
Gohan's power was making remarkable leaps to new heights, especially as he began to consciously try drawing on his rage-fuelled power, and it allowed him to sprint around the training floor with an ease that he never would have expected he could have only two weeks prior.  
Krillin was continuing to improve his performance with the Kaio-Ken technique, and due to his experience with techniques that required precise ki control, he was continuing to make strong improvements. Already, the monk was able to maintain the two times Kaio-Ken long enough to get a blow or two in when doing light sparring with Goku, and even more important than that he wasn't left immobilized after the fact.  
Goku, while having the least improvement compared to his starting point, had managed to increase his ability to both withstand and control the Kaio-Ken to a point where he could likely maintain a safe Times Three for a solid duration of time. Not only that, but the combination of gravity training and excessive use of the Kaio-Ken _did_ net the Saiyan some power growth, even if it wasn't as marginal as the others.

The last day of their trip, in contrast to the previous thirteen, was spent strictly as a day of rest and recovery after putting their bodies through so much. None of them were afraid to admit how needed the day of rest was, either, as if they didn't take a break soon enough they would have probably just overworked their bodies into the ground.  
Goku, in particular, held the philosophy that after a certain point they were pretty much just battering their bodies rather than strengthening them and that it would end up hurting them more than helping. Krillin felt much the same, though Gohan felt that he still had a lot left in him.

The display sat in front of the trio of pilot seats lit up, and an alarm of some sort rang through speakers in the ship. Goku and Gohan leaped out of bed, while Krillin was jarred from his session of meditation, and all three hurried over to see what was going on.

"**Arrival to Planet Namek in T-10 minutes. Prepare for landing."**

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking forward to getting out of this ship for a little while." Krillin remarked with a grin, getting seated and securing himself with his seatbelts. "After two weeks cooped up in this place I just want to fly around and stretch my legs a bit!"

"Ya' can say that again, Krillin." Goku replied in kind with a chuckle, all belted up and ready for the landing. Going on a journey to gather the Dragon Balls reminded Goku of the various adventures he'd gone on as a kid, and it managed to cut through the serious air of their journey and fill him with childish excitement. When all was said and done, they would have their friends back and be both stronger and better after the fact!

Gohan felt a mix of anxiety and excitement, sitting quietly in his seat as he watched the countdown to landing tick down - though he had improved vastly over the two weeks, the guilt that he felt and his motivation to find the Dragon Balls hadn't waned in the slightest. The half-Saiyan could only hope that Piccolo would forgive him once he was brought back to life…

The ten minutes felt like an eternity, amost longer than the whole trip before it as they watched the minutes ebb away at a steady rate, excitement and anxiety at an all-time high in the ship as they were right on the verge of arrival.

"**Atmospheric Entry Initiated."**

The abrupt landing nearly tore the three out of their seats with the rather abrupt landing, even with much of their impact being absorbed by the landing legs that had deployed at the last second. The display slowly turned off, and their seatbelts automatically unbuckled, allowing them to stand.

Goku was the first to the door, which opened with a hiss as the staircase to the ground unfurled. The stale, recirculated air of the pod was quickly mixed with the fresh, somewhat salty air of Namek, and all three couldn't help but take in deep breaths as they stepped out onto the bluish grass.

"Alright, guys." Goku grinned, pulling out the Dragon Radar. "The search for Namek's Dragon Balls begins now!"

* * *

And with that, they've arrived on Namek! This was an enjoyable chapter for me, as I got to put to paper how I perceive the inner-mechanics of the Kaio-Ken, and I got to write some Goku-Krillin dialogue. I've always liked their friendly rivalry and I hope to keep it as a staple in this series, even as the power ceiling rises.

Krillin learning the Kaio-Ken so quickly was something I felt unsure about, however given he has attacks like the Kienzan and the Scatter Kamehameha, I felt like the suspension of disbelief needed for him to understand how to use it in a week's time was there.

Do you agree, do you disagree? Is there anything you would have done differently or maybe something I did that you really liked? Please feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think, I read every review and look forward to new ones being posted!


	5. Chapter 4: Enemies, Old and New

Chapter 4  
Enemies, Old and New

Goku took a moment to gaze over the landscape after his declaration, taking in the peculiar beauty of the planet. Green skies, blue grass, and if he didn't know any better it seemed like there was sunlight coming from _multiple_ directions! A quick glance across the sky did in fact reveal one sun looming over the horizon, while another off behind the ship seemed to be setting.  
"Hmm… that's weird." Goku frowned as he stared down at the Dragon Radar. There were seven signals, but they were flickering in and out sporadically. "The radar's actin' up… Guess we should try an' find the balls as quick as possible-"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A rough voice caught the attention of the three, turning to see two aliens in armor much like Vegeta's. Unlike the armor Vegeta wore, however, these two seemed to have blasters connected to their arm.

"Looks like some space tourists who don't know any better, if you ask me." The second alien replied in kind, pushing in the button on his scouter and giving the three a quick look. "The two smaller ones have power levels of ten, and the tall guy has a power level of fifteen. I would've thought he'd be stronger with all that muscle."

"We're under direct orders from Lord Frieza to eliminate anyone and everyone, so tourist or not, we'd better get to work!" The two aliens aimed their blasters, but before they could react Gohan and Krillin sprang into action.  
Gohan landed a devastating kick to the first alien, while Krillin took the second out with an effortless punch. They collided with each other, getting knocked unconscious and falling to the ground.

"Nice work, you two." Goku walked over to the ship and pushed a button on the inside of the door. Hopping off of the stairs, they would close up into the door and the Capsule Ship would be enveloped in a large puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, a capsule sat on the ground where the ship had been only moments before.  
"Now, four'a the Dragon Balls are gathered together, so I'm thinkin' the three of us will split up an' grab the three that are still apart from each other, then meet up to get the last four together." Goku squatted down and picked up the capsule, stuffing it into a pocket inside his gi top.

Before their planning could go any further, it became apparent that the four grouped balls were coming their way, the signal fluctuating increasingly less as the distance was closing. All the same, however, when they got close enough, the feeling of two energies even stronger than Vegeta hit Goku, Gohan, and Krillin all at once.

"..! Into the cave!" Krillin jerked his thumb towards a cave situated on the mass of land they landed on, the trio dropping their energies even further and making a mad dash for cover. No sooner had they pressed up against the cave wall than did the source of the energies come into sight, followed closely behind by what looked like a small army.  
The two beings heading the army were a fat, pink-colored man with spikes, and a blue-skinned alien with long green hair. Both the two leaders and all those following were wearing variations on the same armor, which came with a bit of an unpleasant realization:

Whoever they were, they worked for the same people that Vegeta and his Saiyan friend did, and they had four of the seven Dragon Balls.

'_Not good…!'_ Goku grit his teeth, balling his hands into tight fists. _'Either one is stronger than Vegeta, and we're gonna haf'ta go through them to get the Dragon Balls!'_ Goku passed the Dragon Radar to Krillin, a serious expression on his face.  
"Change'a plans, Krillin. You and Gohan go for the Dragon Ball over that way, an' I'll go grab the one a bit further that way. I can sense some ki around that area so I'll know where ta' go without the Radar." Goku stepped out of the cave, keeping his power low to avoid being detected by the scouters the enemy was wearing. "Stick t'gether, and if ya' need me, flare your energies as high as they'll go." Goku took off into the sky, leaving Gohan and Krillin on their own.

"W-well, uh, you heard your dad. Let's get going." Krillin lifts into the air, and Gohan follows suit. Before they can take off, however, they sense another energy cut into the atmosphere, turning their heads to see a pod identical to the ones Vegeta and Nappa came to earth in streaking across the sky.  
"I-is that… Is that Vegeta!?" Krillin's heart sank. Not only were they having to tiptoe around two guys _stronger_ than Vegeta, but now they had to worry about Vegeta himself; no doubt, the Saiyan Prince wouldn't be all too happy if he came across them, as well.

"Krillin…" Gohan floated closer to the monk, fear tugging at him as well. They would have to be extremely careful in keeping track of all the threats on the planet. With any luck, Vegeta would be without a scouter though and they would only have to worry about being detected by the other guys.

"I know, Gohan… let's get going, though, quickly. Vegeta being here is just all the more reason for us to get the balls gathered as quickly as we can, make our wishes, then get off of the planet before Vegeta ever knows we're here." As they took off, Krillin's thoughts were racing a mile a minute.  
_'Those other guys - and probably the Frieza guy they work for - are all here for the Dragon Balls, and Vegeta's probably got the same motivation.'_ A bead of sweat rolled down Krillin's forehead, falling away into the open air below him.  
_'Even with the Kaio-Ken, there's no way I can take any of them in a head on fight. Gohan and I are outmatched, just as badly as we were back on Earth!'_ Panic was definitely at the forefront of Krillin's mind, and a big part of him was already wishing that they hadn't split off from Goku. _'Focus, Krillin! Get your head on straight, because if you slip up and get yourself into trouble, Gohan will end up paying for it too!'_ Instead of allowing his mind to wander any further, Krillin put a serious amount of focus into keeping his energy at a low level, flying alongside Gohan in silence.

* * *

'_Not good…'_ When Goku felt Vegeta's ki, the urge to fly at top speed for the Dragon Ball only grew stronger within him, but he couldn't afford to risk it! If he got himself killed, then Gohan and Krillin would be stranded with no way off the planet, and Vegeta or one of the others on the planet would probably get to them as well. Then, the earth would practically be left defenseless!  
Begrudgingly, Goku continued at his same slowed pace, sweating bullets as he split his focus between the various large energies on the planet, Gohan and Krillin's energies, and the energy of the village.

* * *

Vegeta stood across from Cui with crossed arms, a smile on his face despite the purple alien's gloating.

"It seems, Vegeta, that the time has finally come for us to settle the score between us… and with your power level as _weak_ as ever, you stand no chance! That's what you get for slacking, though, heh…" Cui was having a good day. First, he finally got to get out and do some real work for Frieza for once, and in addition that work was _killing Vegeta!_ The day couldn't get any better!

"I think you're mistaken, Cui… I made a discovery, something interesting that I learned after my brief time on Earth... "

"Feh, what is it? A way to run away quickly?" Cui scoffed.

"Far from it, in fact quite the opposite…" Vegeta sank into a lower stance, his aura beginning to bubble off of him in waves. "How to conceal my **true power!**" The shocked expression on Cui's face was all Vegeta needed to see, as his power steadily rose from its previous maximum

"W-what..! You can conceal your power level!?" The numbers ticked up steadily, and Cui let out a nervous shout. "Impossible, y-your power is stronger than mine…!"

"While you've been safe and sound doing small jobs for Frieza, I've been fighting in real battles, you fool! I nearly died on Earth, and I came out of it stronger for it!"

Cui watched the number tick up. "N-ninteen thousand… twenty thousand.. Twenty one thousand.. T-twenty two thousa-!" His scouter exploded off of his face, and Cui staggered back in fear. "W-wait, Vegeta,why don't we join forces? I-I can help you, I-I've always hated Lor- I mean Frieza for as long as I can remember!"  
"W-we could probably even take out Dodoria and Zarbon with our combined power, just think of it!" All the while, Cui focused energy into his closed fist, sweating bullets as Vegeta simply smirked.

"So you're not only a coward, but you're a lying coward as well!" Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle, taking a small step towards Cui, who immediately stumbled back to widen the gap.

"L-lying, huh…?" A smirk played across Cui's face. "**Lord Frieza!**" Cui called out, looking past Vegeta. When Vegeta's head whipped around, the alien fired a powerful blast the Prince's way, enveloping him in smoke. When the dust cleared, Vegeta was nowhere to be seen…  
"Better a liar than a fool, Vegeta. I don't care how strong you are, if you let your guard down you might as well by a fly!"

"You disappoint me, Cui." Cui whipped around to find Vegeta was standing calmly behind him, as undamaged as he had been before the surprise attack.

"B-but…!"

"If my power increases, my **speed** increases too… and you've run out the little patience I had for your stupid attempts at strategy."

Cui shot off into the sky, desperate to get away from Vegeta before the Saiyan could pummel him into dust. Even though he was flying at top speed, however, he found himself face to face with Vegeta once more, taking an uppercut to the chin and being sent into the air.

Vegeta smirked, throwing his hand out and pointing two fingers up at the alien. Suddenly, energy burst forth in and around Cui, and he exploded to pieces with a massive blast, bits and pieces of both armor and flesh falling to the blue grass below.  
"...Frieza's men will surely follow me with their scouters. I can take out Zarbon and Dodoria, but if I'm reckless and run across Frieza, I'll have no chance…"  
_'According to what I overheard on the scouter, the Dragon Balls have no effect until all seven are together, so all I have to do is hide away one and then take the remaining six when the time is right. If I can do that, then eternal life will be mine…'_ He began to chuckle, throwing his head back and letting out a shout.  
"And then, Frieza will stand no chance against me! **I, Vegeta, will rule the universe!**"

* * *

Goku landed on the edge of the village, the buildings all dome-shaped, some with spikes jutting out of it while others were simply smooth domes with curved doors. The population of the village all looked extremely similar to Piccolo, though they were a mix of different shapes, sizes, and shades of green.  
Several of those present - seemingly the stronger ones - approached Goku, with a short and wrinkled Namekian standing at the front of the group.

"Hello, stranger. My name is Forad, what is yours and what brings you to our small village?" His voice sounded rough from age, but he had a warmth about him that reminded Goku of his late guardian Gohan. It left him at ease, and he waved with a big grin.

"Hiya, my name's Goku, it's nice t'meet 'cha, Forad!" After making his introductions, his gaze grew a bit more serious but his calm demeanor remained. "Me, my best friend, an' my son traveled across space from Earth; some'a our friends died in a battle, and one of 'em was a Namekian, Piccolo." The mention of a Namekian on Earth seemed to make Forad listen more intently.  
"Y'see, his life was linked to Earth's guardian, Kami, an' since he died, Kami died, so our Dragon Balls don't work. We were hopin' that we could collect yours to wish back Piccolo an' the others…"

Forad pondered the request for a moment, thinking over Goku's words and his admittedly peculiar accent. With a small hum, he gave an understanding nod. "If what you say is true, then your reasons for making such a journey are noble indeed, and it would be my pleasure to offer you our village's Dragon Ball."

"B-but, elder Forad!" One of the Namekians standing by him spoke up, only to be silenced as Forad raised a dismissive hand.

"Clarin, please fetch me the Dragon Ball from my home." When Forad spoke, the Namekian seemed to swallow whatever qualms he had, and turned around into the village, entering one of the domed houses and returning with their Dragon Ball.

"Whoa…" Goku stared in awe at the ball, due to its sheer size. "Yer' Dragon Balls are way bigger than the ones on Earth. Ours are a little bigger than my fist!" He carefully took the Dragon Ball when Clarin offered it to him, slipping it under his left arm and holding it firmly.  
"Thank you again mister Forad." Goku bowed, but leaned in close. "I wanted ta' warn ya', too - there are some nasty people on yer' planet _also_ lookin' for the Dragon Balls… They've got these things called Scouters which can sense yer' ki, so you should all suppress your energy until they're gone so they can't find ya." Goku's warning held a serious tone to it - the way he spoke, it seemed as if they were plainly outmatched by the energies in question.

"I… I see. Thank you very much for this information, Goku. We are in your debt." Forad was sweating as he thanked the Earth-raised Saiyan, who simply smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Nah, y'don't owe me anything! Lettin' me have your Dragon Ball is more than enough!" Goku waved, turning and running away from the village. "See ya'!" He leapt into the air, taking off as fast as he could without using a noticeable amount of energy.  
_'As long as we have one of the Dragon Balls, none of those guys can summon the Dragon. We just haf'ta hide this one and then nab the rest of the balls when we get the chance!'_

When Goku was out of sight, one of the other warrior Namekians stepped up. "Elder Forad, shouldn't you have told him that he'll need a Namekian to make his wishes?"

"If he is to gather all seven of our Dragon Balls, he will have to request the Dragon Ball from the Grand Elder; if Elder Guru believes him and his friends to be worthy of such a request, then he will inform them of that requirement when the time comes." Forad responded calmly, making a motion with his hands for them to lower their powers.  
"You heard his words of warning, suppress your energies, gather the rest, and let us flee from the village until the time comes that the threat has left our planet."

* * *

Gohan and Krillin landed on the edge of a hill, having sensed to rather large energies at the village they were approaching - two rather sinister, and newly-familiar ones.

"Yep…" Krillin frowned hard, looking down at the radar and then up at the scene before them. "Five in the village, and they've got four of them. At this rate the most we're gonna be able to do is stop them from making a wish of their own." His free hand balled into a fist, frown setting deeper into his face.

"Wait, Krillin, look-!" Gohan caught Krillin's attention, and they watched the scene unfold below.

Three Namekians around the strength of Gohan or Krillin landed in front of the rest of the Namekians, seeming to have a brief dialogue with the two aliens after taking out the lackeys they had with them all at once. The purple one seemed entirely unphased by whatever show of bravado they were talking up, while the blue-skinned one simply seemed amused.  
The strongest of the three Namekians stepped forward, throwing his hands to the sides angrily while arguing with the shorter alien. Krillin was flying blind, but Gohan could just barely make out what was being said.

"There's no way we'll hand over our Dragon Ball, not to scum like you!" A vein bulged on the Namekian's head, his aura bursting out around him. "This is your last chance, if you leave now and leave the Dragon Balls you have, this can have a peaceful resolution."

Gohan wished he hadn't been watching with what came next.

Faster than anyone could perceive, save for his taller friend, the pink spiked alien had dropped the two Dragon Balls he was carrying and buried his fist into the Namekian warrior's chest, purple blood squirting out in large quantities as he ripped his arm back out.  
With a sharp kick the dead Namekian was launched back into some of the other Namekians, and the two remaining warriors moved in with battle cries.

Their punches and kicks were easily dodged by their foe, who seemed more irritated by their act of resistance than scared or otherwise affected. Swiftly throwing his body weight into the second Namekian, he sent them careening through several buildings.  
Now freed up to act, he shot his other hand out in time to stuff a ki blast into the last standing warrior's mouth, whose eyes were wide with shock before it detonated with such force that his head was simply vaporized.

Before the Namekian warrior that had been thrown back could get his bearings, the blue alien idly lobbed a blast his way, blowing him and the building he'd settled on to smithereens. Not even flinching, he seemed to immediately go into chastising the short, fat alien, likely for not ensuring that his first hit on that Namekian had been a fatal one.

Gohan, in a contrast to their stark indifference, felt bile rising in his throat and a rage at the actions of the aliens attacking the village. What's more, though, he felt _guilt_ nagging at him, at his inaction when he could have - no, _should have_ \- shot down there and helped instead of simply watching those Namekians die!

Krillin was disgusted and even nauseous as well, but Gohan took priority over the Namekians, and as Krillin sensed a shift in the young boy he was quick to caution him.  
"Gohan, I know _exactly_ what you're thinking. I also know that if we went down there, we would be toast!" Krillin hissed, all the while shooting nervous glances down at the village below; the village elder seemed to be getting an ultimatum.

"B-but…!" Gohan gripped up the dirt below him, gritting his teeth as he watched the taller alien - seeming to be the more composed between himself and the pink one - raised his hand and fired a blast, incinerating the elder and almost all of the remaining Namekians behind him. The only two left were a couple of Namekian children, haphazardly blown aside by the concussive force of the blast.  
_'Move, Gohan!'_ His own mind screamed at him, as his suppressed power began to rise. _'Use your rage, do for them now what you couldn't do for Piccolo!'_ Gohan's power was rising fast, as he watched the tall alien raise his hand towards the children.

"**HEY!**"

Zarbon and Dodoria's scouters beeped, the former turning in the direction of the energies in time to take a nasty kick across the face. The force behind it was so great that his head was slammed into the Namekian earth below and causing him to drop his own Dragon Balls.

"What the-AGH!" Dodoria was momentarily distracted by Gohan's entrance, which was more than enough opportunity for Krillin to drop in with a sledgehammer blow to his spiked head.

"Grab the kids, and get out of here!" Krillin yelled, as Zarbon slowly moved to get up. Krillin kept his eyes on both him and Dodoria, able to feel Gohan's energy shoot off into the sky with the two much smaller energies of the Namekian children.

"Well, what's this…?" Zarbon spoke with an elegant tone to his voice, rubbing his bruised cheek as he stared curiously at Krillin. "You and your friend are trying to play hero, is that it?"

"Looks about right, if y'ask me." Dodoria spoke with a deep chuckle, cracking his bloody knuckles as he too shifted into a standing position.

Krillin was trembling ever so slightly, as he faced down the two aliens, either one more than powerful enough on their own to obliterate Krillin without leaving a trace behind.  
_'This… this isn't good..!'_

* * *

Cliffhanger! More things are changing by the minute, and the outcome of the Namek Saga is being reshaped as we speak!

When it comes to the characters, I'm putting a deeper focus on their mindsets and how their various mental states affect the course of action they take. This chapter is a good display of how small changes like that will have a serious domino effect, and I hope you all like it so far!

What do you think is going to happen here, and do you think that the end result will be better or worse than what happens originally?

I'd love to hear each and every one of you guys' thoughts and even your ideas, so please don't hesitate to leave a review! I read all of them and oftentimes I make it a point to reply to them as well!

That's all for now, until next time!


	6. Chapter 5: Close Calls

Chapter 5

Close Calls

'_What are you doing, Krillin! Why didn't you just go with Gohan?'_ Krillin chastised himself as he found himself standing off against two people he had no business even trying to fight. Both Zarbon and Dodoria looked rather amused, if anything, at the notion that Krillin could take them on.

"Well, then." Zarbon spoke when it became clear that Krillin was going to continue staring in silence. "Are you going to attack us, or are you simply going to stand there buying time for your little friend until we kill you?" A chuckle left him as he smirked down at the monk.  
"That kid and the two Namekians can go as far across the planet as they want, but with our scouters there's nowhere they can-" Zarbon reached up to tap the button of his scouter, only to touch his ear instead. "M-my scouter! D-damn you, it must have been destroyed when you and your friend made your cowardly sneak attack!"

Dodoria was in the same boat, and he looked to be fairly irritated by the development as well. "Hey, they got mine too!" Dodoria's was actually relatively intact, however the lens of his had shattered, rendering it useless for anything beyond basic communication.

"Sorry about that, but there's no way we could let you keep finding these villages and killing the Namekian people." A bead of sweat dripped down Krillin's face. _'It was sheer luck that we busted their scouters, but better lucky than dead.'_  
Krillin shifted into a fighting stance, taking a deep breath and preparing for a fight he'd be unlikely to win. _'I hope this works…'_

"Oh? Is the weakling ready to face his death like a man?" Zarbon chuckled, his aura pulsing out from his body as he slowly powered up. "I won't even need a fraction of my strength to take you out. Dodoria, how about you keep watch over the Dragon Balls, while I teach this fool what happens to those who get in the way of Lord Frieza?"

Krillin felt a disturbance in the air as Zarbon moved, but by the time the fist was buried in his gut it was too late to react. He was sent tumbling back, slamming his palm into the dirt and throwing himself into the air to recover. The moment he did, Zarbon was in front of him, throwing an uppercut which Krillin was just barely able to dodge.  
_'Oh man, not good! He's not even at his full power and I can barely keep up with him!'_ Krillin swung his leg to catch Zarbon in the side, only for the blue-skinned alien to easily dodge and send him to the ground with a spinning kick.

Krillin crashed into the ground, but despite this was able to quickly leap back and dodge a blast that would have no doubt obliterated him. The explosion kicked up massive amounts of dust and dirt, covering the battlefield and obscuring Krillin from view.

'_Wait, this is good!'_ Now, Krillin had the advantage, and he fully intended to use it. Charging up energy in his hands, he felt out the location of Zarbon's ki, finding it still hovering above the point of impact. _'I got him!'_ Throwing his hands forward, the two balls of yellow ki merged into one, and he fired it at his opponent with a yell.  
The blast cut through the smoke with a serious amount of speed, revealing itself to Zarbon at the last second and leaving him no time to react.

Zarbon was sent flying further into the air, Krillin following in hot pursuit with the aim to capitalize on the opening he had made. By the time he was close enough to throw a punch, though, Zarbon was able to recover and block it with one hand, using his other fist to land a nasty blow across the short fighter's face.

"How _dare_ you strike me!" Zarbon was scowling as he released Krillin, swinging his leg at him with the intent to obliterate his ribcage. It left him surprised, though, when his foot cut clean through Krillin, the monk's form seeming to blur away into the air.  
"What the-!"

Krillin threw a right hook into the top of Zarbon's skull, sending him crashing to the ground with impressive speed. Without giving him a second to process, this lucky blow was followed up by a rapidly-charged Kamehameha, the battlefield showered in an intense blue light as the beam careened down at Zarbon.  
Zarbon crossed his arms over his face, feeling the searing heat of the attack against his arms before he dissipated it with a forceful burst of ki, getting to his feet with anger in his eyes.

"Your _tricks_ won't save you, you utter fool!" Zarbon's power rose higher, but with it his anger soared. Even as he shot up at Krillin with killing intent, the monk was just barely able to slip by the deadly punch and land a harsh jab on the alien's neck, cutting off his air supply temporarily and causing him to grab at his throat with a sharp gasp.

Krillin dug his fist into Zarbon's solar plexus, cracking the armor and forcing a weak exhale out of the foe before throwing a particularly nasty knee into the side of his head, the series of blows only as potent as they were thanks to Krillin's clever targeting of weak points.  
_'Alright, I may just have a chance-!'_ Krillin was startled as Zarbon fired a hasty blast his way, enveloping Krillin and forcing a pained cry from him.

Once more, he fell to the ground, weakened and wounded by the attack but not out yet. Slowly, he pushed to his feet, Zarbon landing a short ways in front of him.

Zarbon was wheezing, though he wouldn't admit it, as he approached Krillin. "I must say…" He gripped up Krillin by the tattered collar of his gi, smirking. "You certainly put up more of a fight than I would've expected, even if I wasn't fighting at my full strength…"

'_What do I do…!? If I use the Solar Flare, it might not hit both of them, but if I do nothing…!'_

Zarbon raised his hand, charging energy in his palm and aiming it for Krillin's head. "Of course, though, I will _easily_ be able to end your life all the same…"

All of a sudden, a blazing heat erupted from Krillin, the shock of the change causing Zarbon to dissipate the blast of energy as the monk in his grip was enveloped in a deep red. With a new burst of power and speed, a foot was buried deep into his chest in the same spot that his armor had been cracked earlier, blue blood spraying into the air only to be burned away by the chaotic energy surrounding Krillin.

"**K-KAIO KEN, TIMES TWO!**" Krillin burst forward, letting loose a furious barrage on Zarbon and blowing him back towards Dodoria with the final blow, the red aura breaking away from his body and the strain of the technique leaving his movements stiff and painful.  
Not yet done, though, as Zarbon and Dodoria both stared in a mix of surprise and irritation, Krillin threw his hands up to either side of his head. "**SOLAR FLARE!**"

It was as if the light of Namek's suns grew tens or even hundreds of times brighter, both aliens yelling out in pain and grabbing at their eyes.

'_Alright!'_ Moving quickly, Krillin lunged for the two Dragon Balls further from the duo of Frieza Force members, scooping them up under his arms and shooting off into the sky with every ounce of power he had left. _'I can only hope that Goku felt that go down and is on his way, but I can't spare an ounce of energy to check!'_ Krillin's aura left a white streak across the sky as he fled, knowing that his opponents would be following close behind soon enough.

* * *

Goku was flying through the Namek sky at a slow pace, his power suppressed and his energy senses cautiously extended to feel anything concerning or just unusual.  
Because of this, Goku had been given a 'front row seat' of sorts, to the energy-only spectacle of Vegeta encountering another ki of similar size, powering up past it - and beyond what he had been capable of on Earth, much to Goku's dismay - and obliterating it very soon after that.

'_Darn it… I don't know how, but he's already gotten so much stronger since our fight!'_ Goku smacked himself on the head with his free hand, the uncertainty he'd felt on the way to Namek returning with a vengeance thanks to this development. _'If he was able to power up so quickly in such a short time, there's no telling how much more he could be hiding!'_  
It was definitely possible that this new power was his limit, and if that were the case then Goku had a very strong chance of taking him in a one-on-one. However, the risk that the others on the planet could be alerted to the fight and come to intervene, or the feasible scenario that Vegeta was holding back at all, made it too great of a risk to approach him just yet.

Off where the other two large energies were, he felt several energies - most likely Namekian - get extinguished one after the other. Not only that, but they felt similar in power to Gohan and Krillin, meaning that the two would stand no chance if they too ran into the path of the opposing forces.  
As if they had heard his thought, though, he felt two very familiar energies surge to life. Gohan's power exceeded the normal level Goku expected, however it still paled in comparison to the two in question as Gohan and Krillin seemed to launch some sort of brief assault.

By this point, Goku had adjusted his flight path towards the four energy signatures, feeling Gohan take off at top speed with two smaller energies close by. _'Krillin, why aren'cha running!'_ Goku yelled in his own head, taking the risk of starting to speed up his flight.  
The following minutes were agonizing, as Goku felt Krillin and one of the two opponents locked in a brawl that no doubt had his childhood friend on the defensive. _'Hang on, Krillin, I'm on my way!'_

A sharp increase, like a beacon to anyone who could sense energy or had energy sensing devices, undeniable from Krillin as his energy seemed to take a sharp increase out of the blue.  
But… that could only mean one thing.

'_The Kaio-Ken!'_ Dread hit Goku like a truck; the Kaio-Ken was still a very new technique for the monk, and if he had to use it in battle then there was a massive chance that he could be left incapacitated!  
Throwing caution to the wind, Goku shot through the sky like a jet fighter, locked onto Krillin's energy as he seemed to be fleeing the scene of the battle. Any comfort in Goku was dismissed just as quickly as it came, though, as one of the energies - the one Krillin _hadn't_ fought - shot off in hot pursuit towards the much slower fighter.

'_I-I might not make it in time!'_ Goku was pushing his speed to the limit, little bits of red occasionally entering his aura as he subtly boosted his power with a very low-level Kaio-Ken. _ 'Just a little extra speed, that's all I need to get there!'_

* * *

Vegeta's moment of gloating was interrupted as something peculiar sparked on the edge of his newly-acquired energy sense, in time with two new scouter readings.

"Three-thousand and forty-five thousand?" Vegeta quirked an eyebrow. "Whoever they are, the fools just attacked Zarbon and Dodoria; I doubt they'll last long." A thought occurred to the Prince, however.  
_'Wait a second… if they were able to strike those two and not be instantly obliterated… and if I can't even sense a hint of Frieza's power in the area…'_

Vegeta took off quickly, sparing no ounce of speed as his form shot across the sky quicker than the eye could see.

'_Frieza, you fool, you've sent your lackeys to do such important work all on their own, and you've left them and however many Dragon Balls they've collected ripe for the picking!'_ Vegeta's loud laughing echoed off into the open air around him, as he felt a small scuffle going down between Zarbon and the unknown fighter.  
_'Still, I must admit it's impressive that someone has managed to hold on in a fight against Zarbon for so long… No, it's what the fool deserves for fighting suppressed.'_ Vegeta was further shocked when he felt a familiar sensation of power growth…

'_It… it can't be! That heat, I can feel it in his ki, it feels just like that blasted technique Kakarotto used on Earth!'_ But, if that was the case… _'No, it's much too weak to be Kakarotto himself… but who's to say he didn't teach one of his weakling friends that trick of his?'_

When the unknown energy - now presumed to be one of the Earthlings he fought - took off from Zarbon and Dodoria, Vegeta decided to make a gamble that they would have taken a Dragon Ball or two with them… and a foe with a power-level of 3,000 was much more appealing than two with power levels rivalling Vegeta's own.

As he adjusted his flight path, however, he felt another powerful ki - almost as great as his own - rapidly flying and seeming to head for the same signature as Vegeta himself was. _'Who could that be…?'_ At first, he dismissed it possibly being Kakarotto - it was far too great… but when he felt the slightest bit of that heat in the energy, he knew.  
_'I see… so the low-class fool has somehow managed to close the gap between him and myself in the time we've been apart.'_ Vegeta scowled, pushing his speed as hard as he could as to get to the earthling first._ 'No matter, when I achieve immortality, I will wipe both Frieza __**and**__ Kakrotto out of existence!'_

* * *

Krillin could only keep ahead of Dodoria for so long, and unless he pushed into the Kaio-Ken once more it would only be so much longer that he could keep fleeing!

Maybe he wouldn't have to, though...

Though he'd been flying over water during his seemingly futile attempt to escape, a small island was coming up over the horizon! Krillin sped up a bit as he poured more and more of his power out at once, shooting down in an arc towards the island and stopping right before impact.  
Cutting his flight, he suppressed his energy - in case there was anyone else on the planet with scouters that they hadn't picked up on - and crouched down behind the small plateau.  
Sweat was pouring from the short fighter like a faucet, and his heart was beating a mile a minute. Two dragon balls held tight to his sides, he simply hoped that Dodoria would keep on flying!

As Dodoria's energy came increasingly closer, Krillin realized that two _other_ energy signatures seemed to be zeroing in on his location. The nearer one was Goku, but the farther one…

'_Oh no… it's… it's Vegeta!'_ Goku could fight Dodoria if he had to, but Dododria _and_ Vegeta? Vegeta's power seemed even higher than it had been on earth, and both foes were more than enough to beat Goku without the Kaio-Ken!

It was a sigh of relief, then, that escaped Krillin when Dodoria continues across the sky, still chasing after Krillin through the sky in vain while Krillin was actually nestled safely on the small island.  
_'Now that he's past, I should flare my ki so Goku knows where I am... '_ But… _'On the other hand… if I lead Goku straight to me, it'll lead Vegeta to the Dragon Balls, and that wouldn't be good!'_ No, instead, Krillin kept his energy suppressed, and simply kept his senses extended in case Vegeta and Goku were to split off from each other.

* * *

'_Krillin's energy stopped an disappeared, but that other guy kept going…?'_ It took Goku a second to figure it out, as he shifted his course from following any ki signatures to simply flying towards the last location he'd felt Krillin's energy.  
_'Wait a sec, maybe Krillin and Gohan managed ta take out their scouter thingies!'_ A grin spread across Goku's face, but only briefly as he could feel the gap between himself and Vegeta slowly closing. _'I don't have time for this, I have to get to Krillin and then meet up with Gohan!'_ Gohan's energy had been suppressed for some time, but Goku could still sense the two small powers alongside him.

The little flashes of red in his aura consuming it entirely, Goku's speed rose all at once and his white trail of energy became a deep red arrow streaking through the air. _ 'Kaio-Ken, times two!'_  
Though to any normal being, the water below would seem to be one big blur of green, not only Goku's speed but also his perception had been enhanced by the Kaio-Ken. So, when he was able to catch sight of an orange gi and the sun reflecting off of the two Dragon Balls with him, Goku was easily able to land on the small island with a soft tap.

Aura bursting away from him and his power dropping to an undetectable level, Goku grinned at his friend, who was visibly scuffed up after his earlier fight with Zarbon.  
"Hey, Krillin! Ya' got two Dragon Balls, eh? I got one too!" Goku held out his own Dragon Ball with a grin, chuckling.

"B-boy, Goku, am I glad to see you…" Krillin was shaking a bit, his attention split between Goku and the still-approaching ki of Vegeta. "We have to go, though! Vegeta is on his way and he'll definitely spot us-!"

"Relax, Krillin. He won't." Goku was surprisingly certain about this fact, but he seemed confident enough to bet on it. Instead of flying away, he used a minimal amount of ki to break a hole into the side of the plateau, creating a makeshift cave.  
"Slip in here; it ain't deep but it'll give us tha' cover we need." Pressing their backs into the small cave barely kept Goku and Krillin out of sight, but surprisingly enough Vegeta flew right on by, seemingly still following behind Dodoria.

"H-how… how did you know, Goku?" Krillin was in awe! It was a seriously bold guess on Goku's part, but it had paid off!

Goku gave a small grin down at his best friend. "Oh, it's easy! If Vegeta's only usin' his scouter, there's no way he can sense us if our energies are suppressed. If he ain't, though, he's not used ta' sensin' energy, and he'd probably have lost us when we stopped an' dropped like we did."  
Sure, there was a chance Goku could've been wrong, but given the state Vegeta departed from earth in, and the increase in Vegeta's strength, Goku couldn't help but guess that his possible new ability to sense ki would be rusty at best.

"Now, c'mon, Krillin." Goku took one of the two Dragon Balls that Krillin had grabbed alongside his own, leaving the monk to carry one ball with both hands. "We gotta go meet back up with Gohan, it ain't safe for him t'be out there without either of us nearby him."

Without much more said between the two, they lifted into the air and started towards Gohan, keeping their energies more than low enough to hopefully avoid detection - they'd both had a close call so far, and neither was looking to have another!

* * *

Happy holidays, everyone!

The first action scene! I bet none of you guys thought that fight would go as well as it did for Krillin, but he got lucky with those scouters!

I'm sure some people will take issue with Vegeta's energy sensing being subpar, but the way I see it he still has to adjust to using it rather than his scouter. If it helps, you can assume that Vegeta - having his scouter on and tracking the powers - saw no real reason to use his natural sensing, and simply assumed that following Dodoria would lead him to Krillin, and a Dragon Ball or two.

Either way, I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter, and what you think will happen next! Please go ahead and leave me a review, and I'll make sure to give a response if you have any question!

Until next time!


	7. Chapter 6: Split Up

Chapter 6

Split Up

'_When I catch up to that little bald thief…!'_ Dodoria's hands were squeezed into tight fists, a vein bulging in his forehead. Not only had Zarbon been a fool and allowed the little bastard to land some solid hits and then escape, but now if he didn't catch up they had to explain to Frieza that they lost two dragon balls to a pipsqueak who they could have easily obliterated!  
Dodoria _wouldn't_ be the one to have that conversation with the tyrant. No, he would rather die than be the bearer of such bad news.

Still, though, there was no way that he should still be chasing the pest after so long, and he didn't even see a hint of the ki trail that the short fighter should no doubt be leaving behind. When the realization that he must've hidden somewhere before Dodoria was able to catch up finally hit, the fat pink alien stopped midair with a burst of ki.

"D-damnit, I've been chasing the runt and he's probably off somewhere hiding our Dragon Balls!" His anger was bubbling and he whirled around to fly back towards Zarbon. "When I get a hold of him…!"

"A hold of who?"

"What-!?" Dodoria was face to face with Vegeta, the Saiyan prince floating cross-armed with a raised eyebrow and his usual cocky smirk. "Vegeta, you've got some nerve showing your face after killing Cui like that…" Dodoria and Zarbon had heard the whole event transpire over the comms, being surprised that Vegeta was able to defeat the alien and even more surprised by the scouter readings they'd seen.  
Still, those numbers had to be a fluke, a glitch for sure! Dodoria could still beat the arrogant fool, no problem!

"Is that so?" Vegeta sneered. "Look at you, out here alone without backup…" The smirk on Vegeta's face only grew, as he sized up Dodoria. "...and more than weak enough for me to kill you, no problem." Vegeta thew a punch without warning, sending Dodoria flying across the horizon a short ways before he recovered midair.

"Y-you…!" That was a cheap shot! But Dodoria would never voice that aloud, no. "You just got lucky, that's it!" The bulky alien shot forward, locking Vegeta into a flurry of punches and kicks which the Prince was able to block and parry away with relative ease.

'_The power gap between us isn't anywhere near as wide as I'd like it to be, but it's not a problem.'_ Vegeta ducked under a particularly heavy punch, launching himself up and headbuttong Dodoria in the nose. A fresh spray of blood gushed forth, and Dodoria grabbed at his face with a pained yell. _'I still have all the power I need to end his miserable existence…'_

This shouldn't be possible. No, Dodoria couldn't accept that Vegeta was able to toy with him like this! Dodoria floated back and away from Vegeta, forcing his anger down and smirking at the unharmed Saiyan. "Those are some nice moves, Vegeta. I will admit, you've gotten stronger…" An orange glow began to encase Dodoria and he shot forward. "So how about you prove you're stronger than _me_ by taking this head on!"  
Dodoria moved at a blazing speed, his glowing form closing the gap between himself and Vegeta with ease. The prince raised his hands in a lazy defense, but when Dodoria's attack actually landed it sent him flying with a surprising amount of force.

Dodoria kept going, catching up to Vegeta and burrowing a fist in his gut. "**DODORIA... **" He threw a left hook into Vegeta's face, leaning forward and shooting towards him with his full power. "**HEADBUTT!**" The small horns atop his head bit into Vegeta's cheek, already forming bruises as the prince was blown above the clouds by the strength behind the attack.

When he finally recovered, Vegeta felt slightly disoriented, shaking his head and extending his senses to find Dodoria. _'I should've known the freak had something up his sleeve, otherwise he wouldn't be so highly esteemed in the Frieza Force…'_  
Indeed, Dodoria actually boasted some attacks that allowed him access to greater strength, but while those attacks let him attain such power for mere moments Vegeta had that power on tap at a constant. So when Dodoria came speeding up towards Vegeta, he wasn't afraid.  
No, he welcomed it.

Dodoria fired off several blasts towards Vegeta as a smokescreen, but all of them were deflected with ease and his punch was caught with a shockwave, his arm shaking a little while Vegeta's stayed steady.

"Out of steam already?" Vegeta pulled Dodoria forward by his arm, burying his fist into the fat creature's gut with such strength that it broke through his armor and pierced his flesh. "I guess that little burst of power was the most you could muster to match me…"

Pain and dread filled Dodoria as he could _feel_ Vegeta's fist inside of him, letting out a pained cry as the searing heat of energy built up in the pit of his stomach. "V-vegeta… don't..!" He pleaded, a last-ditch effort to hold onto his life.

"HAAA!" Ki exploded out from Dodoria's back, his energy dropping and then fizzling away as the last bits of his life force ebbed away. The light in his eyes dimmed, his face stuck in a grotesquely pained scream as his body slipped off of Vegeta's arm, falling down through the sky and crashing into the Namekian waters, never to be seen again.

Up in the sky, Vegeta simply scowled down at the water below. With a disgusted look, he peeled off the bloodied glove and let it fall as well. _'He put up a fight, which is more than I can say for Cui…'_ Vegeta turned to stare off in the direction of his other priority, feeling the ki of Zarbon burning as powerfully as ever.  
_'Which begs the question… am I strong enough yet to defeat Zarbon?'_ Maybe he could pull a victory, but Zarbon was always the better of the two henchmen and if Dodoria had actually made a solid effort then it could be very well possible that Vegeta would meet his match with the blue-skinned warrior.  
_'No matter. Frieza isn't on Namek, and so if Zarbon is all I have to worry about, then handling him will only be a matter of time…'_ That was a lie, though. Vegeta had sensed another energy converging on the signatures of Dodoria and the Earthling.  
Kakarotto was on Namek, and with the heightened power that Vegeta felt coming from him, that was unfortunately a threat even greater than Zarbon. Vegeta frowned deeply. _'If I want to secure my wish, I must defeat __**both**__ of them…'_ A feat easier said than done.

* * *

Goku had briefly jolted to a stop in his flight alongside Krillin as they fled in the direction of the faint kis that had been with Gohan. Krillin realized a moment or two later, stopping and flying back to his friend to see what had caused him to take pause.

"Hey, uh, Goku? You okay?" Krillin waved his hand in front of Goku's face, the Earth-raised Saiyan having a mild look of shock on his face as he floated there. After a moment or two of waving, Goku blinked and collected himself, a frown setting in on his face in a very uncharacteristically serious way.

"Vegeta…" Goku mumbled, stuck in a mix of shock and some small bit of thankfulness. "...He killed the guy that was followin ya. His power, it's… stronger than when we were on Earth." The more Goku spoke, the more things started to click in Krillin's head.  
The more he could see the guilt that rested on Goku's face.  
The man had always had a heart, even for those who might not deserve it. It no doubt bothered him to know that by letting Vegeta live it caused someone else to die, even if their actions may have justified their demise.

"Hey, come on, you did what you thought was right when you let him escape." Krillin rested his hand on Goku's shoulder. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to comfort his friend and make sure Goku knew that everything was alright, but on the other hand they were racing against the clock to meet up with Gohan before someone else detected the energies with him.  
"Let's get to Gohan, and then if you need it we can give you some time to think, alright?" Krillin offered, nodding his head off in the direction they'd been traveling.

"Yeah… let's go." Goku slowly gave a nod, and he and Krillin took off through the air at a slowed pace once more. Though they were back on the move, Goku was far from done thinking about the domino effect his actions had sparked, and the guilt that was nipping at the edges of his mind.

* * *

Gohan stood at the entrance to a very small cave, only just big enough for him and the two Namekian children he'd saved to squeeze into. His energy was pushed down as low as he could push it, but his senses were spread thin in his efforts to search for any possibility that they'd been pursued.  
Sweat rolled down his cheek as his body finally began to shake, the weight and anxiety of the entire situation beginning to press on him as his adrenaline wore down.

Why did he come here?

To get himself killed trying to bring back the person who _died_ for him?

He shouldn't be on Namek.

He'll just screw it all up.

Gohan's hands had balled themselves into tight fists, the young boy shutting his eyes and trying to fight back tears as his legs quivered and gave out below him. A small sob pushed from his lips, and he heard the approaching footsteps of the two he had rescued when his knees hit the dirt.

"A-are you okay!" Dende, the taller of the two children, placed a worried hand on Gohan's shoulder as the hybrid child began to cry.

Gohan gave a weak nod, rubbing at his eyes and wiping the tears away as quickly as he could - now was anything but the time for weakness. He had to protect these two until he was able to safely reunite with his father and Krillin.  
"Y-yeah, I'm fine…" It was a lie, of course. Gohan had wanted to come with his father and Krillin, but he had been anything but prepared for so much death so soon after watching so many of his allies fall on Earth.

He just wanted to be home, right now.

"I-I'm sorry we couldn't save the rest of your village…" Gohan's voice broke a bit as he spoke, but he was able to keep from letting out another sob.

"You did more than you had to... thank you for saving me and my brother." Dende spoke in a soft and reassuring tone, his brother quietly watching from the side. Gohan wasn't the only one trying to process so much happening in such a little time, and so much death.  
It was taking its toll on all three, and all three were holding together in their own ways.

"I… I saw that they were going to kill you, and I couldn't… I couldn't just _let_ them." Gohan didn't fully remember actually moving from his spot on the hill when he did, he just remembered his power exploding to life and then holding the children in his hands.  
When Krillin urged him to run and hung back to hold them off was when everything came back into real time for Gohan, so to speak, and he'd kept track of Krillin's fight for as long as he could until the monks' energy disappeared into the ether.

Gohan _really_ hoped that Krillin wasn't dead.

"I had to do _something!_" Gohan hissed, as he thought back to the fight on Earth. The number of times he just let himself get paralyzed with fear. _'If only I had been able to move then… if I hadn't frozen when it counted most, when everyone needed me…'_ Tears stung Gohan's cheeks as they dripped down, but he wouldn't let himself cry yet.

"Do… do you think they followed us?" Cargo, his voice sounding rougher than Dende's, finally spoke up. The young Namekian was playing with the cloth of his belt, dried tears on his face as he approached Gohan and Dende.

Gohan shook his head, casting his gaze out towards the light of Namek's suns. "I can't sense any incoming energies, not with my energy so low." He could feel some ki pressing at the very edges of his senses, but nothing substantial enough to be nearby. If he were to raise his energy he could sense more clearly, but the risk of getting detected was too much.  
"Hopefully my dad will be able to sense you guys and come here. He would've felt the two of your with me when I flared up my ki." Gohan offered the words of comfort that he'd been holding onto, the boy hoping not only that his father would come to _his_ rescue, but that he'd come to Krillin's as well.

Hope… that was all Gohan had for now. If his father didn't find them, they might as well already be dead.

* * *

Zarbon stood in the piloting and communications room of the modestly-sized ship that they'd brought down to the surface, a ways smaller than the full ship Frieza flew. It had much less space, being only a fraction of the size, but it still contained an old healing chamber, storage, and a small bunk room for the grunts that Zarbon and Dodoria has brought down to the surface with them.  
Frieza's face flickered onto a holographic screen, and Zarbon dutifully saluted his leader with a steady expression on his face. "My lord, I apologize for disturbing you, but I have some unfortunate news that I must report to you."

Frieza's expression hardened on the screen, and he stared more intently at the holographic projection of Zarbon that he was speaking to on his end. "...Go on."

"The _Prince_ has landed on the planet, and it appears that he's grown stronger." Zarbon crossed his arms, clear annoyance flashing across his face. "The monkey managed to kill Cui, and given that I've not seen Dodoria in some time I would be willing to say that he has fallen as well."

"But how would that be possible, Zarbon? You say that Vegeta has grown stronger… but to kill Dodoria…" Frieza was hesitant to believe it. Dodoria wasn't much stronger than Cui, but there was a sizeable enough gap that Dodoria should still be more than capable of taking out Vegeta if they were to cross paths.

"We believe it to be a glitch, the readings we got on our scouters, but…" Zarbon frowned. "The highest reading we detected from Vegeta was twenty-four thousand, Lord Frieza…"

"...But you do not believe that this is the extent of his power?" Frieza could tell that Zarbon had more he wanted to say from the way the commander ended his sentence, and he made an idle motion for his underling to continue.

"I believe that Vegeta has undergone what is commonly known amongst the Saiyans as a 'Zenkai' boost." Zarbon began. "Were he to be pushed close enough to a near death state - an outcome that seems likely given the reports we got of his arrival at Frieza Planet 79 - then he could have undergone not just a substantial, but a massive growth in power."  
Once again, Zarbon hesitated, but he forced himself to go on. "My Lord, the Prince very well could be strong enough-"

"-to defeat you, even if you were to transform." Frieza finished Zarbon's sentence for him, an air of irritation around the tyrant as he did so. All was not lost, though, there were the matters of the mission itself.  
"Pray tell, despite these setbacks, where do you stand in regards to your Dragon Ball count?"

Once again Zarbon spoke, bearing nothing but bad news for the man who could kill him in an instant if he so wished to. "...We currently have three. We had five, but we were ambushed and the perpetrators managed to take two from us."

"There should be nobody with the power on that planet _to_ take Dragon Balls from you Zarbon, unless you mean to tell me that you already encountered Vegeta and did not dispatch of him?" Frieza raised his eyebrow, no further words needed to relay to Zarbon what such a failure would mean for him.

"N-no, my Lord!" Zarbon wouldn't tell Frieza that he'd toyed with one of the thieves, or else nothing he said could turn things around for him. "The two who stole them, they used tricks such as hiding their true powers and powerful blinding techniques to temporarily incapacitate Dodoria and myself - by the time we could see again, our scouters had been destroyed and two of our balls were gone."  
"I sent Dodoria to pursue them while I returned the other three balls to the ship, and as established I've not heard from him since."

"...I see." Frieza was livid, but he wouldn't lose his composure in front of his underlings. "Remain at the ship and ensure that Vegeta cannot acquire the Dragon Balls you have. I'll be sending the calvary to clean up your _mess._" The words were hissed out, and without another word he cut communication.

"Y-yes, Lord…" Zarbon wasn't able to finish speaking before Frieza cut out. When he _was_ alone once more, Zarbon fell to his knees and took a heavy breath. He'd managed to make it through the call full of bad news without incurring Frieza's wrath… but the only calvary he could think of was the Ginyu Force.  
For Frieza to send in the Ginyus, he had to be _extremely_ angered by the circumstances.

'_No matter… I have a new task, and I shall complete it dutifully for Lord Frieza.'_ Zarbon rose to his feet, looking at the Dragon Balls which he'd set in the far corner of the room, away from the door. _'If Vegeta wishes to take these Dragon Balls, he'll die a gruesome death…'_

* * *

So everyone is split up, and not only that but the Ginyu force is being summoned early! What kinds of changes will these things have for our heroes, and will they be able to take on the elite fighting squadron when the time comes?  
Will Gohan be able to reunite with Goku and Krillin, and will they be able to collect the rest of the Dragon Balls in time to escape with their lives?

I'd love to know what you guys think will happen, and what you've thought of this chapter. All in all I believe this is one of my weaker chapters, as it severely deviates from my outline and so I didn't have any framework to build off of, but I'm hoping that you guys liked it all the same.  
Please feel welcome to leave a review telling me your thoughts, and if you have any questions I will do the best i can to answer them.

Until next time!


	8. Chapter 7: The Beauty and the Beast

**THIS IS A REUPLOAD. PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE ADDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER.**

Chapter 7

The Beauty and the Beast

The sound of soft snoring echoed throughout the cave Gohan and the Namekian children had fled to, Dende and Cargo having grown tired and fallen asleep during the wait for Goku and Krillin. Gohan, on the other hand, stood dutifully at the entrance, peering out into the open and empty skies in wait of his father and hopefully Krillin.

His eyes stung with exhaustion, however, and his firm stature was beginning to wane with each passing minute. It was surprisingly exhausting to extend your energy senses out consciously for such a long time, Gohan found, and it meant that he was running low on not only energy but strength as well - at this rate, he could very well pass out from over-exertion.  
Truth be told, Gohan was close to giving up - he was growing so exhausted that if he needed to flare his ki to signal for help, he very well might be unable to! Maybe it would be best to try and cover up the cave entrance and take a nap himself?  
They'd destroyed the scouters the henchmen wore, right? Gohan had thought as much as he flew away, so maybe he could afford to give in to the gentle pull of sleep...

No, they had Vegeta to worry about.

Gohan could sense Vegeta's energy at one point, but just as his own, his father's, and Krillin's energies had, it dropped off the radar. Whether Vegeta had a scouter, or perhaps if his ability to suppress his energy meant that he could also _sense_ energy, it was too risky to sleep. He had to focus on keeping his power low, for the moment…

Even if he found himself beginning to slide down against the cave wall that he'd been learning on for some time….

* * *

"Are you _sure_ we're going in the right direction, Goku? Those two energies we were following dropped below the radar a little while ago. For all we know, they suppressed their energies and fled again." Krillin and Goku had only taken small breaks on their way to Gohan, and both were hoping that they would arrive at their destination before having to stop again.

"Again, Krillin, I'm _sure_." Goku responded, though the uncertainty in his voice said otherwise. _'We have been flyin for a while… what if we overshot em or somethin?'_  
Fortunately, just as he was beginning to consider that they might have gone the wrong way or gone past Gohan and the Namekians, he caught sight of something a bit odd in the landscape below: There was a cave of sorts, and not only did it look freshly created due to the faint scorch marks around the entrance, but Goku could see a hint of _purple_ peeking out!

"There!" Goku dropped to the blue grass below, hearing the soft landing of Krillin behind him as they dashed for the cave. "Gohan, are ya' in there!" Goku crouched in front of the small entryway, peeking his head in to see Gohan, on the verge of sleep. When his eyes met with his father's though, they opened wide and he lunged out of the cave to latch onto Goku, causing his father to drop the two Dragon Balls that he'd been carrying.

"D-dad, you found us!" Gohan began to cry almost instantly when he made contact, wrapping his arms around Goku's neck and burying his face in his father's chest as all the emotions he'd been holding back for the sake of the other children burst like a dam.

Goku held his son firmly, smiling down at him with pride. "I did, Gohan… and I heard what a brave thing ya did, throwin yer'self into danger to save those two kids." He ruffled Gohan's hair, a light chuckle escaping him. "I'm proud of you."

Those words brought a smile to Gohan's wet face, the young boy tilting his gaze upwards to meet the proud gaze of Goku. "Y-you did…? Then that means…!"  
Gohan peered over Goku's shoulder to see a battered and bruised Krillin, whose gi had been tattered and in some places torn from the battle he'd fought against Zarbon.

"Yep, I'm here too! Did you think I'd let those guys just walk all over me?" Krillin struck a confident pose, even though his exhaustion was quickly catching up to him - no point worrying Gohan when the poor kid already seemed so stressed from what had already happened.  
_'Using the Kaio-Ken, even for such a short time, really did a number on me… my muscles are still screaming at me for it…'_ He would need to rest a bit if he wanted to be of any use in future battles.

"Y-you guys should come in here and rest!" Gohan slipped out of Goku's grip and gestured to the small cave entrance. "It's bigger than it looks, and you both look really tired." Without a doubt he was worried about them, Krillin especially.

"I think I'll take ya' up on that, Gohan." Goku flashed a grin at his son, before getting on his knees and crawling into the cave. It was definitely cramped, barely tall enough for him to stand up in - and only if he was hunched over - but it was more than big enough for a bit of rest. He deposited the Dragon Balls deeper in the cave, close to the sleeping forms of Dende and Cargo, who seemed to be using their vests as makeshift blankets.

"Me too, I need to rest after using the Kaio-Ken… I have no idea how you used a _times four_ Kaio-Ken back on earth, Goku. The normal times two had me about ready to implode!" Krillin followed close behind Goku, much more comfortable in the cave due to his shorter height.  
He situated himself in a small nook close to the entrance after depositing his Dragon Ball close by Goku's two, his resting position out of sight from anyone who may fly by but close enough that he would be one of the first people any possible assailants would have to go through.

"Ya've just gotta train more with it. The more yer' body is hardened to it the higher the Kaio-Ken can go." Goku replied with a yawn, settling in a bit deeper into the cave. He would probably meditate rather than full-on sleep, being much less tired than both his son and Krillin at this point.

Gohan situated himself beside Goku, gently leaning into his father's side for his own bit of rest. Goku draped an arm gently around Gohan, and that was more than enough to lull him into the sleep that had been so steadily calling him for the past few hours.

Similarly, Krillin was quick to doze off, thanks to being so exhausted from the Kaio-Ken and the brief yet strenuous battle that had preceded it. Though he and Goku had taken a few chances to rest on their way to Gohan, it was only ever enough to gather the energy to keep flying, rather than to actually sleep or recuperate altogether.

With Gohan and Krillin asleep, it left Goku to his thoughts, meditating and going through everything that had happened since their arrival on Namek… thinking about this 'Frieza' that those two Soldiers had mentioned, about how Vegeta was a more real threat than ever with his increased power and ability to sense and suppress his ki, and about how the one guy he _could_ sense probably had the Dragon Balls that they didn't.  
Goku wasn't the killing kind - he'd had a moral code and a sense of mercy instilled in him from the earliest years that he could remember. Even so… the thought still ate away at him, that if he'd allowed Krillin to kill Vegeta on earth, then they would only have _one_ threat to worry about, and said threat was likely an easy task for Goku if he didn't have to worry about it becoming a 2-on-1.

Though Krillin had offered words of encouragement and comfort towards Goku several times throughout their voyage thus far, the usually carefree Saiyan's conscience was weighed down by the one thought that caused him so much stress…

How many people have lost their lives because Vegeta is still alive, and how many more will lose their lives before someone puts a stop to Vegeta… _for good?_

* * *

'_Damn it all to hell!'_ Vegeta found his frustration building as he flew cautiously across the skies of Namek, his energy senses extended in all ways for any hint of an energy other than Zarbon's. _'They're suppressing their energies, and I can't risk making a move if I don't know what direction they'd come from!'_

Vegeta's pursuit of the Dragon Balls had hit a serious roadblock. He could attack Zarbon, he was definitely stronger, but if he started a fight with Zarbon there was a risk that he could have some uninvited guests, namely Goku and Krillin, show up to crash the party.

'_If I don't make a move soon, I won't get a single Dragon Ball and one of those groups of fools will get their wishes!'_ Despite the situation he found himself in, Vegeta was still flying towards Zarbon's energy. If he couldn't make a move with violence, maybe there were more stealthy means by which he could swipe a Dragon Ball or two…?

'_He took the secondary ship down to the surface... ?'_ Vegeta thought to himself as he landed by Zarbon's ship, a frown settling on Vegeta's face once again. _'If the secondary ship is down here, then it's likely that Frieza is waiting in orbit around the planet. If I make a move I'll have to be quick, or else Frieza may come down and blow me away himself…'_

Zarbon was standing in the pilot's room, the prince able to make out the elegant-looking henchman through the curved window on the front of the ship.

'_No doubt, he has the Dragon Balls in there with him…'_ But he didn't see a scouter on Zarbon's face, which was an advantage on his part if he'd ever seen one. Aiming his hand off towards some mountains on the opposite side of the ship, Vegeta fired off a few blasts and made a mad dash for the legs of the ship.  
He came to a sliding stop up against one of the landing legs, body pressed up against it and pauldrons of his armor just barely hidden as Zarbon dashed out of the ship, facing the direction of the smoke.

"Vegeta-!?" Zarbon called out, raising his battle power steadily. "Come out now, and _maybe_ I'll let you live!" The sound of something slicing through the air made the hair on the back of Zarbon's neck bristle, leaving him just enough time to whirl around and catch Vegeta's wrist, his hand mere inches from the blue-skinned lackey's face.

'_D-damn… so close!'_ Vegeta's arm shook in Zarbon's grasp - he and Zarbon were on a more equal playing field than Dodoria, even if Vegeta still had the edge. A sneak attack would've avoided a nasty confrontation and any risk of outside interference.

"Such a cheap attack, especially coming from you Vegeta…" Zarbon spoke coolly, smiling deviously as Vegeta jerked his wrist from his hold.

"I was hoping to avoid a fight… I've already had to dirty my hands with killing _two_ of you fools, after all." Vegeta smirked, flexing his fingers and dropping down into his stance. "...But I'm sure you already figured out that I disposed of Dodoria, didn't you?"

"You insolent…! How dare you call me a fool!" Zarbon had indeed figured out that _someone_ had killed Dodoria, but having it confirmed to him that it was Vegeta made this all the better… he could take out Vegeta now and have nothing to worry about!

"What's the matter, Zarbon? Is the mighty sub-commander of the Frieza Force so easily hurt by words…?" Vegeta lunged forward, throwing a punch into Zarbon's stomach a bit too quickly for the foe to react. "I can only imagine how much my fists will hurt you, then…"  
Zarbon threw a punch of his own before Vegeta could continue his assault, the impact of Vegeta's attack dulled by his armor enough that he wasn't staggered.

The two were locked in a barrage of punches and kicks, either one getting their fair share of licks in while blocking and parrying about as many from their respective opponent. They almost appeared to be evenly-matched, however Vegeta was gaining ground with each passing second.

"I thought you would be stronger than this…" Vegeta taunted, sliding around a heavy punch and throwing his knee into Zarbon's side. "Maybe I should have just fired a blast at you from behind and left it at that instead of worrying about even needing to sneak up on you…"

Zarbon cried out at the heavy impact of Vegeta's knee, bringing his elbow down on the Prince's head only for it to pass through thin air. "Silence!" He would only _just_ be able to duck under the roundhouse kick Vegeta tried to smash into the side of Zarbon's head, grabbing Vegeta's foot and spinning him around.  
"You are _nothing_ compared to me!" Zarbon sent Vegeta flying into the very same mountain that he'd used as his distraction earlier, wasting no time in charging towards the prince to continue his assault.

His followup punch was caught by Vegeta, who delivered a blow of his own to the side of Zarbon's head, staggering him long enough to land a bone-crunching hit on Zarbon's chest with a sickening snap. "Sounds like a rib or two just shattered, Zarbon, you ready to give up yet?"  
Vegeta blew Zarbon back with a focused kiai, relentlessly firing a barrage of energy blasts at his foe. _'I need to finish this quickly, or else Kakarotto and his friend will surely show up!'_ He couldn't sense either of them yet, but he had a bad feeling in his gut that someone would be showing up soon enough.

"**You're distracted!**" A deep and monstrous voice gurgled within the dust cloud Vegeta's barrage had made, Zarbon emerging with a speed that he'd yet to exhibit and slamming his shoulder into his foe with a devastating amount of force.

Vegeta was sent right back into the mountain, body embedded into the rock by the powerful blow from Zarbon. "W-what…!?" Zarbon stood before him once again, however he had changed…

Zarbon had grown taller and much bulkier, his smooth skin now rough and scaly. His chiseled face had become much more grotesque, almost like a toothed frog with a sickeningly large grin on its face.  
"**You didn't know, Vegeta?**" Zarbon taunted, easily swatting away the blast of energy sent his way. "**I can transform, and with this power, the gap between us is much too wide for you to close it…**" A rumbling chuckle pushed from the transformed creature's lips, as he buried his fist into Vegeta's gut and brought forth a heavy spray of blood.

"A-ck!" Vegeta's vision blurred heavily as he crumpled to the ground in front of Zarbon, his armor shattered all along his midriff and his hands clutching at his chest. Pain seared through him from the crushing force of a single blow, his breaths ragged and his body feeling heavy.

"**No more quips or jabs to make, Vegeta?**" Zarbon smirked, aiming his hand down at him and focusing energy in his palm. "**I'll just kill you, then, and get it over with… I'd like to play with you some more, but I have orders from Lord Frieza that prevent me…**"

Vegeta began to chuckle, his hands shakily pulling away from his burning stomach. "Y-you… idiot…" When the light of Zarbon's energy cast itself onto Vegeta, he threw his head back and up, bringing his hands to either side of his face. "**SOLAR FLARE!**"  
Once again,, Zarbon found himself blinded by the attack, firing his blast in the hopes of hitting Vegeta but instead taking a harsh blow to the face.

The impact of the blow sent Zarbon to the floor, clutching at his face and yelling a string of swears as he tried to compose himself. "**DAMN IT, A **_**SECOND TIME…!**__"_ Zarbon hadn't expected the attack from Vegeta, never having considered the possibility that he could be working with the short fighter that he'd encountered earlier.  
Unfortunately, that lack of expectation had come back to bite him, and as he slowly regained his sight he felt his heart sink. Smoke billowed from the window of the secondary ship, having been blasted inward only moments earlier.

"**N-no…!**" Zarbon shrank down as he descended into his normal state, flying into the cockpit through the new hole and immediately turning his gaze towards the corner of the room where he'd deposited the Dragon Balls. Unfortunately for him…

They were gone.

'_He… he blinded me and took off like a coward, with all three of my Dragon Balls…!'_ Dread filled Zarbon at this revelation. Vegeta had taken the only remaining Dragon Balls in his possession, the ones that he'd been given _direct_ orders from Frieza to protect….!  
And if Vegeta could use the same attack as the bald runt from earlier, who had taken the other two Dragon Balls in a very similar fashion… _'They must be working together… which means that they have five of the seven…!'_

"I should report this to Lord Frieza-" Zarbon stopped in his tracks, hand hovering above the communications button of the ship.

If he reported to Frieza that he'd lost the remaining Dragon Balls, to Vegeta no less, he would surely be executed! No… he would simply have to reacquire the Dragon Balls, and hope that his pursuit of Vegeta would lead him to the other two that had been stolen from him.

Shooting out of the hole in the cockpit window, Zarbon flew high into the sky and looked around for any hint of Vegeta.

'_The only way he could have gotten those Dragon Balls out so quickly is if he were to throw them and simply chase after them... '_ And, since Zarbon had placed them in a specific corner of the room, he could safely narrow it down to a small path that they could have gone!  
Flying off in the direction of the Dragon Balls, he suppressed the building rage that he felt and focused entirely on the task at hand. _'I have to catch up to Vegeta before he has time to relocate the Dragon Balls... if he moves them, I may never be able to find them again!'_  
Zarbon's body bulked up and became grotesque once more, the Frieza Force subcommander summoning all his strength and speed as he shot through the air as fast as possible.

"**I WILL CATCH YOU, VEGETA, AND WHEN I DO YOU WILL DIE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH!**"

* * *

I apologize if this chapter feels a bit shorter or lacking in substance! I originally intended for this chapter to introduce Guru into the mix, but I felt the urge to instead put a Vegeta and Zarbon fight into the mix at the last second.

I realized that Vegeta was basically doing nothing, outside of killing Cui and Dodoria, and in order for him to keep some level of relevance he had to get his hands on some Dragon Balls… but of course, his original method of attaining one had been taken by Goku, and he wasn't able to distract Zarbon from inside the ship because he hadn't been put in the healing tank!

He _had,_ however, had the Solar Flare used on him back on Earth against Goku, and so I felt it was reasonable for him to be able to pull it out much in a similar way to how he'd used a Destructo Disk to cut off Gohan's tail when he'd turned into an Oozaru.

All-in-all, there was more I wanted to do in this chapter, but I felt that the fight should be the focal point because it's a big shift in the momentum of the arc.

If you disagree, or if there's something that you guys would do differently, please don't hesitate to let me know in a review! I always enjoy reading and replying to your feedback and the more you can give the better it is! Even if your review is entirely negative, I still want to hear what you have to say!

Until next time!

**Author's Note:**  
I don't know why, but as of recently I felt pretty low on inspiration for this story. I do plan to continue it and I still have a strong vision for this arc, but when I sit down to write my mind just draws a blank.

For the time being, I'm going to be putting this story on hiatus. I apologize that I missed last week's update and this week's, but hopefully when I return I'll have a backlog of chapters to prevent needing a hiatus the next time my inspiration hits a low.

Thank you guys for understanding.  
Until next time.


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